


The Labyrinth

by fungumunguss



Category: Labyrinth (1986), Merlin (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fae & Fairies, Heavy Angst, M/M, Magic, Post-Labyrinth, Reincarnation, Romance, True Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-01
Updated: 2018-05-04
Packaged: 2018-07-28 14:31:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 22,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7644634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fungumunguss/pseuds/fungumunguss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was just another completely normal fight, except for the fact that Merlin had been reading that bloody children's book and in order not to reveal his magic, wished Arthur away. Now, he has to run the Labyrinth in hope of rescuing his prince. However, what the Goblin King doesn't know is that he has a secret weapon, and it's the mortal that Jareth fell in love with long ago.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Say Your Right Words

The Labyrinth

Chapter 1

Say Your Right Words

_“May you get exactly what you want and live long enough to regret it.”_

_― Sherrilyn Kenyon, Born of Shadows_

Merlin had been enchanted with the book as soon as his professor placed it in his hands. It wasn’t anything particularly special, in fact, it was quite old, the cover falling apart in his hands with the leather tearing away. The script had faded to which the blue-eyed student assumed it had been given far too much sunlight. Nevertheless, despite its horridness, Merlin could still read the title and it gave him a strange sense of wariness. There was something about this book…

“The Labyrinth.” He muttered, mulling over the words he had just spoke and wondering just _why_ they seemed to make him slightly ill. He shook the thoughts away and allowed his eyes to stray back to his professor whose radiant smile and chilling green eyes only showed him kindness and warmth which was strange as most students fled her class as soon as it was over.

But Merlin wasn’t just anyone was he? He was the most powerful sorcerer in the Aboveground and Underground (not that he had been to the Underground in a long time. He had an aversion to it…but what that _was_ , he could not remember). He could _easily_ take on a stone cold professor.

Though Professor Williams, or Sarah as Merlin preferred to call her, was nothing but lovely. There was something _enthralling_ about her, that drew Merlin in. He wasn’t in love with her nor attracted. He was very much gay thank you and had a strong preference for the male genitals than that of the female variety.

Sarah was gentle and considerate to him, and they had lengthy discussions about fae mythology and the legends that surrounded them. It was all very fascinating to Merlin, as he very well knew that the fae was real and the way Sarah spoke of it…almost made him believe she _herself_ had been to the Underground or at the very least, had some sort of encounter with the creatures earlier in her life. But that was near impossible as fae preferred the accompaniment of children rather than adults. Children were more likely to believe in them and the fae was nothing if vain. Vanity, in Merlin’s opinion, was all that they had.

“Yes. It was one of my favourite books as a child. I figured you would enjoy it as much as I did.”

Merlin grinned at Sarah, smoothing away the ripping corner as he did. “Thank you. Yeah. I think I’ll like it very much.”

Sarah nodded and began to pack her things. “Better hurry along Merlin. Your roommate seems rather impatient.”

The woman gave him an amused look as Merlin scanned over his shoulder only to see his pratty (and undeniably gorgeous) roommate who did seem rather peeved as he glanced here and there in the hall he stood in. The blond had his arms crossed, unpleasantness splattered all across his face before his eyes landed precisely on Merlin’s. The sorcerer only grinned sheepishly before thanking Sarah once again for the book and dashing outside to join the royal idiot.

“Merlin.”

“What?”

Arthur merely rose an eyebrow at the big-eared boy. “You’re late.”

“I was not. You were simply early.”

“ _Merlin._ ”

Merlin stopped in his tracks and looked directly at the blond. “I was having a wonderful conversation with Sarah before you _rudely_ interrupted it with your impatience. For future reference, you should learn to wait, seeing as most women prefer a man _with_ manners, not your usual uncouth personality.”

Arthur pursed his lips in response and Merlin’s eyes shot down to glance at them before chastely reminding himself that Arthur was most certainly _straight_ and _not gay_ and therefore would never be into Merlin the way Merlin was into him.

“You know Merlin when I’m king, you’ll regret ever saying those kinds of things to me.”

The only made Merlin smirk. “Never, you’re royal pratness.”

And off he ran, laughing out loud with the wind in his sails as the future king chased him down, threatening to smash his head with his binder through the stone halls of Oxford University.

 _God_ , he wouldn’t give this up for anything.

… 

Sarah could only chuckle to herself as she watched her favourite student join the object of his affections in the hall before their usual banter began again. It was unfortunate that the prince was straight, for in her opinion he and Merlin would make a lovely couple.

It wasn’t her business and truth be told she had no care for the royal family. They, to her, were nothing more than faces on magazines with no real power in the world.

She sighed, pulling some of her hair back behind her ear as she placed the final essay into her bag. She turned off the lights and exited the lecture hall, making her way to her car so she could go home.  Sarah was leaving later than she would have liked, but it appeared that every conversation with Merlin tended to make her late.

He was just _fascinating_ and a true scholar as his wisdom and intelligence knew no bounds. He was Ph.D. material, of that Sarah was certain and she was excited to see where he would be going in his future.

Furthermore, his name was _Merlin_ of all things and his roommates were _Arthur_. Sarah knew all about the stories about Camelot and Albion, about how Merlin and Arthur, _together_ , brought magic to Camelot and united the lands.

But those were nothing but stories though, the professor supposed that if the fae were real, then it was quite possible Merlin and Arthur had been too in that time. Now, however, it was just a coincidence, nothing more.

Upon arrival at her home, Sarah shrugged off her coat, droplets from the rain hitting her hardwood floors and seeping through the cracks. Her umbrella she placed by the coat rack before moving further into the old, brick house.

She loved living in the United Kingdom. The scenery was so different to that of back home, and she found it to be far more fantasy like. It inspired her paintings, murals, and portraits that she hung on the walls of her house. Each picture recalled a part of her adventure in the labyrinth. The one of her friends hung in her living room, of the land itself in her study, the crystals hung in her kitchen and there were several others.

However, the only one she didn’t know what to do with was of the Goblin King himself. It simply sat on her easel, waiting to be placed somewhere in her home. But where? No place seemed suited for it, for _him_. Sarah sighed and let her mind drift away from him and onto more productive things, like marking the essays of her students.

She went to her study and set the bag on her desk, all while pulling out a massive stack of papers to which she inwardly groaned. There was nothing less satisfying than grading poorly written papers.

Most students who took her courses only took it as a fluke. It was, supposedly, an easy class. Of course, Sarah made sure that once they stepped foot in the first lecture they learned that it was _quite_ the opposite.

And that was how she had met Merlin. The first day of her class and he was the only one who ever raised his hand. She learned very quickly that he had an old soul in a body so young. He looked like a fae, with his pale, moonlight skin and fierce angles. He was thin and lanky, but that did not disallude her to the hard muscles underneath.  He was stunning, in an ethereal way, and his knowledge of her class was astounding.

It only made sense for him to quickly become her favourite student. “Maybe I should mark his essay first.” She whispered to herself. “No. I’ll save the best for last.”

However, the moment she placed her fingers on top of the stack of papers her phone went off. Its shrill noise echoed in the emptiness around her and Sarah quickly sought to end it.

“Hello, Sarah Williams speaking. Oh! Merlin! What do you need? Wait…slow down…what do you mean he’s gone? _You did what?_ I’m on my way. Wait…what do you mean you’ll come get me? Merlin!”

As soon as she spoke his name for the second time in that call, Sarah vanished into thin air and the only sound that could be heard in her house was her phone clattering to the ground.

…

Merlin opened the book with tender hands, eager to read the pages and let himself get lost in the tale. He loved fantasy and anything associated with the subject since he himself was that of a legend.

Arthur meanwhile couldn’t give two hoots about books. He was very much a politician, more interested in reading people rather than stories. Merlin spared a glance to his counterpart who simply stared out the window of the limo they were in that was taking them back to their place of residence.

Merlin shook his head and brought himself back to the story. _“Once upon a time, there was a beautiful young girl whose stepmother always made her stay home with the baby. And the baby was a spoiled child, and wanted everything to himself, and the young girl was practically a slave. But what no one knew is that the king of the goblins had fallen in love with the girl, and he had given her certain powers. So one night, when the baby had been particularly cruel to her, she called on the goblins for help!”_

“Merlin, what are you doing?”

“Reading.”

“And what would that be? Another silly fantasy of yours? Really Merlin,” Arthur drawled, “You know better than to believe all of that childishness.”

The sorcerer sighed, closing the book but keeping his finger on the spot where he had been reading. His ocean blues sought Arthur’s sky ones before drifting back to the script.

Merlin had yet to tell Arthur that magic was not only very much real, but that he _himself_ was the most powerful controller of it. Merlin had dreamt of a thousand ways to reveal his sorcery to his friend, but nothing seemed right. And he certainly didn’t want a repeat of his past lives, did he? Where Arthur was on the brink of death and that’s when Merlin revealed that yes, he did have magic or some sort of giant catastrophe that forced Merlin’s hand and ultimately betrayed Arthur’s trust in him?

No. He certainly didn’t want that. So Merlin kept his mouth shut tight and continued to read. _"Say you're right words," the goblins said, "and we'll take the baby to the castle, and you will be free!" But the girl knew, that the Goblin King would keep the baby in his castle forever and ever and ever, and turn it into a goblin! And so the girl suffered in silence. Until one day, when she was tired from a day of housework, and she was hurt by the harsh words of her stepmother, and she could no longer stand it...”_

_“And so she wished the baby away. “I wish the Goblin King would take you away!” And with a brief pop, the baby in her arms disappeared and only then did she realize her terrible mistake.”_

Merlin grinned to himself as he turned the page. Wishing someone away. How clever, he thought. Dastardly really, by the Goblin King no less. Merlin knew of the king from his past lives. He knew the fae had an elaborate labyrinth and brought abandoned children to the Seelie kingdom and Unseelie. He had not joined either side but rather remained impartial. And that suited all kingdoms just fine.

The limo then stopped and Merlin’s eyes glanced out the window. They arrived back home so Merlin quickly tucked the book into his satchel, to be read as soon as he got in. The rain, however, was unpleasant as the wizard made a mad dash to the house, scrambling for his keys before he finally managed to get inside. His jacket was quite wet, much to his chagrin and Merlin tossed it off and onto the rack. A chill settled in as soon as he stepped foot into the kitchen to make himself some tea. Due to the rain, Merlin felt it to be a nice way to get cozy as the weather forced him to stay indoors.

Arthur meanwhile was on his phone, chattering away about some sort of law that he (or his father if Arthur would be honest) didn’t agree with. Merlin wasn’t a big fan of Uther Pendragon, but a royal was a royal and despite the man’s arrogance he _was_ a good king.

However, his hold on Arthur repulsed Merlin. Because Arthur wouldn’t do anything he wanted to do for himself. It was always his father’s wishes, or as King Uther put it, what was best for the kingdom.

Which was absolute rubbish to Merlin, who very well knew that Arthur would much rather rule the kingdom his way, which to the sorcerer would be fair and just, but Uther would have none of it. Arthur was to be primed in Uther’s image, not his own.

The kettle then went off and Merlin poured himself a cuppa, before crawling into the window seat and opening up the novel once more, allowing his imagination to take him away.

…

Merlin was enjoying the story quite a bit. It _was_ a bit childish, but that didn’t deter him from continuing it read it. Arthur had disappeared long ago, and if the wizard’s hearing served him correctly, the blond was in the shower.

The water above him soon stopped and footsteps could be heard walking around upstairs. For a rich man, Arthur had found a rather poorly designed house for the pair to live in with their other roommates. Of course, Lancelot was out with Gwen, and Gwaine was most likely out at the pub, flirting with those of both female and male variety. A distraction, in Merlin’s opinion, to that of his growing affection for Percival. Gwaine was a good man but lived in great denial about most things _especially_ concerning his love life.

“Merlin.”

The drawl pulled the sorcerer out of his musings much to his dismay as he very much liked to drift off into his thoughts. With an exasperated sigh, Merlin brought his gaze to his friend and could only sputter and gap like a fish.

Arthur stood before him in low rising jeans with a towel drying his hair and _no shirt_. The muscles were strong and…well… _big,_ making the sorcerer’s mouth go dry and once again curse the gods for making Arthur _unbearably_ straight.

“Yes, Arthur?”

“Put the book down. You’re too old for such childish nonsense.”

That irked Merlin and rather than following the prince’s orders, he ignored the blond, choosing to pursue the story over Arthur’s companionship. That pissed off the prince who stormed over and ripped the book from Merlin’s grasp. The sky blue eyes were all too bright but Merlin’s rivaled in comparison.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” said Merlin, who left his happy spot to retrieve the book that his friend so carelessly tossed aside. He brushed the cover and breathed a sigh of relief. Sarah would have _killed_ him if he had messed it up.

“Since when is a book more important than me?”

“I only have it for a brief amount of time Arthur. Sarah lent it to me.”

“Ah yes. Your _professor._ ” sneered Arthur. “You know Merlin, student and professor relationships are forbidden.”

Merlin rolled his eyes. “I am well aware and very much not interested. You know I don’t swing that way.”

“I’m sure she could change your mind.” Muttered Arthur, whose eyes were now looking out the window. “Come Merlin. We’re going out.”

“You can. I’m staying here.”

Arthur tossed him an annoyed look. “No. _We_ are going out drinking. Leon wants to meet up with us.”

“I have no interest in doing that. Go, have your fun, and don’t puke on the carpet when you get home.”

“Leon specifically asked for you to come and it would be rude to deny his request.”

“No Arthur.”

The prince snarled and ripped the book once more out of Merlin’s grasp. Merlin could feel his anger growing but knew he needed to get it under control otherwise he’d do something stupid. Like, reveal his magic.

“You’re choosing this stupid book over your friends? _Are you daft_?”

“No, you utter clotpole! I just have no interest in going out tonight!”

“It’s Professor Williams, isn’t it? You _do_ like her. You want another reason to be in her company. God Merlin, you are pathetic!”

“ _You idiot_. How many times do I have to tell you that I have no interest in women? I just don’t want to go out tonight! And if you’re going to be such a prat about it well then I’m most definitely _not_ going out with you and your bumbling friends.”

“The only one being a prat here is you, Merlin. You and that stick up your ass.”

Merlin could feel the magic sparking at his fingertips, urging him to send the blond flying back into the wall. He was standing so close to him, their noses almost touching and the anger radiating off of them in waves. And Merlin, bless his soul because he just…it’s the book’s fault really, decided to do something absolutely, positively, _stupid_ beyond all reason.

“I WISH THE GOBLIN KING WOULD TAKE YOU AWAY!”

And he screamed it at the top of his lungs. Of course, nothing happened and the only thing that could be heard was harsh breathing on Merlin’s part because he was just so _angry_ with Arthur. And Arthur, well, he stood there dumbfounded until he burst out laughing, at Merlin, to the point where he was bent over, grasping his knees for support.

“Really Merlin _, the Goblin King_? Are you absolutely serious? Has that book has done you in? There is no such thing as a Goblin king you –”

And before he could utter out a final insult a goblin appeared out of thin air, looked right at Merlin and winked, before grabbing Arthur and disappearing with a pop.

Merlin merely stood there and blinked a few times before the reality of what had just occurred sink in. _He had wished Arthur away_. The prince of the United Kingdom, taken away by bloody _goblins_ of all things.

“Bloody hell.” muttered out Merlin before dashing to his phone to call the one person he knew could help him otherwise he was _completely_ screwed.

…

  _“Hello, Sarah Williams speaking_.”

“Hello, Sarah?”

_“Oh! Merlin! What do you need?”_

Merlin took a deep breath in before spewing out a summary of what he just did.

“Sarah, Arthur was being a bloody prat, and I had been reading your book and well, I just…I don’t know what came over me, and its all the books fault really, and now he’s disappeared!”

_“Wait…slow down…what do you mean he’s gone?”_

“I may or may not have wished him away?”

_“ **You did what**?”_

“Yeah.”

_“I’m on my way.”_

The house began to rumble then and Merlin frantically looked around. There was no way his professor would be able to get to the house. He sighed. Well, at least someone in this lifetime would know about him.

“Don’t move. I’ll get you.”

_“Wait…what do you mean you’ll come get me? Merlin!”_

Merlin snapped his fingers and immediately Sarah appeared in the hall, clutching onto the banister.

“What?”

Her eyes frantically looked around before settling on Merlin who grinned sheepishly. “But…what…you’re a…you’re not a fae… _what just happened_?”

“No time to explain really. Ah, I think I wished away Arthur.”

 _“You wished away the prince of wales?”_ she hissed out.

“Yeah. I think I did…by the Goblin King too.”

The house rumbled once again. “And while I’d love to elaborate more I don’t think we really have time. So you can forgive me later but…just don’t speak for the next little while.”

And Merlin snapped his fingers once again and the body of Sarah disappeared, replaced by a slender black fox with bright green eyes glaring at him. “I’m sorry about this, really, but he’s coming and I don’t think you being in human form will help me. Because there’s a bit more to this, or to you than meets the eyes isn’t there, professor? Don’t think I didn’t catch on. I’m not quite sure about your connection to all of this but I do know there is one. I sense fae on you, but how I’m not sure. And this book is more than just a book if I can wish away someone. Therefore, how you got it seems rather impossible unless you yourself have had dealings with the fae.  But never mind that now. I believe I’m about to have a visitor in a few.”

Thunder crashed outside and Sarah jumped into Merlin’s arms before the student placed her on his shoulder. She curled around his neck as a bright flash occurred all throughout the house.

And there, standing before them, in all of his sparkling glory, was the Goblin King and he was grinning a smug grin, with canines showing and shimmering in the faint light.

“Emerys.”

“Goblin King.”


	2. Live Without Your Sunlight, Love Without Your Heartbeat

Chapter 2

Live Without Your Sunlight, Love Without Your Heartbeat

_“Scared?" Malfoy muttered, so that Lockhart couldn't hear him._

_"You wish." said Harry out of the corner of his mouth.”_

_― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets_

Merlin looked upon the face of the Goblin King, taking him all in. He hadn’t aged a day since the sorcerer had last laid eyes on the fae. His hair was still it’s silvery blond, still long, thin and wispy. He hadn’t bonded yet then. Odd, for a fae such as himself to go so _long_ without establishing a bond with someone…

Merlin shook the thoughts away. He certainly had no time to dwell on his previous affairs when he _very much_ had to deal with the current one.

“I find it amusing, Emerys, that _you_ of all people foolishly wished away someone. You know the cost of wishes.”

The blue eyes stared long and hard into the mismatched ones, watching the colours shift as the Goblin’s King’s emotions played out. Windows to the soul indeed.

“Shall I run your labyrinth then? To win him back? What _are_ the terms, Goblin King?”

The fae let a Cheshire grin spread on his face before flicking his wrist and creating one of his infamous crystal orbs. He held it out to Merlin, waiting in anticipation.

“You know what to do Emerys.”

Merlin stared at the crystal orb that lay on smooth leather. Pastel colours swirled inside it, drawing Merlin in and begging to be touched. The sorcerer sent a brief glance to the Goblin King but the fae was distracted by Sarah. He, the Goblin King, did not know who precisely the fox was, but Merlin could sense that the blond was suspicious of the vixen.

“Quite a beautiful companion you have there Emerys.”

“Indeed.” Before either could utter another word, Merlin grasped the crystal and felt the world around him spin. Powerful magic swept through the house and the ravenet could feel it seeping into his bones, responding to his own magic and flying away through his hair and soul. Merlin was a being of the ancient powers, not the fae ones. His magic went much deeper than glamour and simple tricks which would explain the nastiness he felt whenever dealing with fae magic.

Soon the air around him stopped, and a silent peace settled over his senses. His eyes flickered open, to reveal him standing on a hill overlooking, what Merlin could only presume to be, the Labyrinth. It was enormous, much larger than what Merlin had imagined when he read the book. He could see trees growing over the already high walls, darkening the pathways and hiding the dangerous creatures inside. Merlin was no fool. He _knew_ the labyrinth was a place of old magic and for him to proceed headfirst without any thought would be idiotic. He _had_ to think this through.

The wizard was about to speak until he noticed that the Goblin’s King’s eyes were once again lingering on Sarah in her fox form. Merlin chose to remain silent, studying his opponent with inquisitive eyes, wondering just _what_ was going on in the fae’s head.

“Well Goblin King, shall we begin?”

That pulled the immortal away from his gazing and rather onto the wizard’s instead. “Indeed Emerys. You have thirteen hours in which to solve the labyrinth before your friend becomes one of us... _forever_.”

And with that the Goblin King disappeared, leaving Merlin standing along on the top of the hill with Sarah wrapped around his neck. She made a noise and the wizard chuckled waving his fingers and allowing her to speak once again.

“You have _so much_ explaining to do Merlin.”

“As do you, professor. We can walk and talk, though I do suppose he’ll be watching us, won’t he?”

“He can’t hear us, only see Merlin.”

To that, the wizard cast a glance to the green eyes of his comrade as the pair made their way down the hill towards the giant gate that loomed over them as a bad omen. Merlin didn’t think much of it, but rather as the only way to enter the labyrinth. As he pushed on the stone he began to speak his mind to Sarah.

“You know, just a while ago, Arthur had been chasing me through the halls at the university. And all I could think was how utterly _perfect_ it was, despite his shitty attitude, and just…after one _stupid_ fight, I do something _absolutely_ incredulous and wish the prat away! Me! _Merlin_! The most powerful being in all the Aboveground and Underground, choosing to _wish away_ someone. It’s just…it seems so silly and yet it’s _exactly_ what happened.”

“You can’t beat yourself up about it. It was an accident, a slip of the tongue. Trust me, I felt the same way when it happened.”

“So you _have_ been to the labyrinth before. I knew it!”

“Well, there isn’t really any point in hiding it anymore is there? Yes, I wished my baby brother away and as a result, had to run the labyrinth.”

“Did you succeed?”

“Yes. I did.”

“So it was you then. I heard murmurings about a champion of the labyrinth when I came down to the Underground once. I didn’t think much of it but I am certainly thankful to Circe that I have you on my side. Couldn’t really imagine doing this without you. I always sensed fae on you, you know. I suppose that’s due to your time in the labyrinth but it still doesn’t explain…” The ravenet paused, brooding over his train of thought but refusing to speak it out loud. Something didn’t sit well with him.

“Merlin?”

“Never mind.” The sorcerer said as he stopped moving. His eyes scanned the area only to make him sigh after. “Well, looks like we have a fork in the road.” Merlin looked directly at Sarah whose green eyes stared back at him. “Where to Champion?”

…

Jareth appeared in his throne room after leaving the presence of the legendary Emerys. He found it odd, that the most powerful being in _all_ the universe, chose _wishing_ as his way of getting rid of someone. Then again, the sorcerer _did_ seem rather young.

“A reincarnation then.” He muttered to himself as he made his way to the throne before sitting down. He mulled over the information while he balanced a crystal on his knuckles. Despite the strangeness of the childlike features of Emerys, Jareth found the sorcerer’s _familiar_ to be the oddest thing about him. A sleek, obsidian coloured fox, with the most penetrating green eyes a creature of its caliber could ever have. No animal of such simple design should be that, well, _beautiful_.

There was something about that vixen…

A goblin came bursting through the doors to his throne room and Jareth had to grit his teeth to keep his retort in, losing any thought he had. The goblin, hogsworth or whatever his name was, was one of Sarah’s dear friends so he very much couldn’t send the blasted thing into the bog of eternal stench no matter _how_ much he wanted to.

Speaking of the champion, Jareth wanted to very much pull out a crystal right then and there and watch the woman do her usual routine. The goblin king couldn’t count the number of hours he had spent simply _watching_ the beauty moving through her life.

“Your majesty?”

However, Jareth’s spying had to wait as his subject was calling for him.

“Yes, Hogswart?”

_“Hoggle.”_

“ _What_ do you want?” Jareth uttered, more interested in his gloves than the subject before him.

“It’s the prisoner sir…he…uh…um…”

“Spit it out _goblin_.”

“He won’t shut up.”

Well, _that_ was a new one. Jareth was so used to dealing with little babes and toddlers that he had forgotten how _annoying_ a full-grown human could be. He very much did _not_ want to have the prisoner upstairs with him as he had no time to doddle on older folk, but he supposed that a prisoner _was_ a prisoner whether babe or man and therefore he should deal with it.

Jareth sighed. “Very well. Bring him here.”

The bloody goblin nodded and rushed off to fetch the inmate to bring to the King’s feet. Jareth meanwhile flicked his wrist with his usual flair, summoning a crystal from the depths of the unknown.

“Show me, Sarah.” He whispered to the orb. The crystal shimmered and sparkled, but revealed nothing. The king furrowed his brow. _That_ was odd. It usually showed Sarah in the Aboveground. Why _now_ was she hidden from his sight? Unless…

The doors burst open once again and in stumbled the blond jailbird with Hognet at its feet as the king was pulled from his train of thought once more. The boy was blubbering about some sort of nonsense that Jareth had no time for and frankly, had no interest in listening to.

“Unhand me you, _foul_ creature! I am _the_ Prince of Wales! Not some _prisoner_! _Let. Me. Go_.”

“There ye go ye majesty.” And with that Hogette scampered off as quickly as possible away from the angry adult and the glowering king, leaving the pair to deal with themselves.

…

To Merlin, it felt as though hours had passed in the labyrinth though he knew it had only been about thirty minutes. He weaved around corners and dodged many branches that stuck out all while trying to maintain some sort of sense of direction. Truth be told, he had absolutely no idea where he was going and according to Sarah, the labyrinth was not what it had used to be when she ran it.

When he thought about it more, the maze did seem rather off. The magic in the air…was faintly toxic for a lack of a better word. No wonder when he first held the book he felt rather ill. Something was affecting the magic of this place…and it wasn’t a good thing.

“Well Merlin, we’ve been walking for a bit now. Care to tell me how you came to be a fae?”

“I’m not a fae Sarah. I am something… _more_ than that. If my past knowledge serves me correctly, I am simply Merlin or Emerys as the fae and druids refer to me as.”

“You _look_ fae.”

Merlin shrugged. “I suppose I do a bit. Then again I _am_ immortal, so, beauty comes with that.”

“Modest, aren’t you?”

The sorcerer grinned at the vixen before stepping around a large puddle that appeared in the path. “Something like that. I guess Arthur’s rubbed off on me a little.”

Sarah’s fox form snorted. “Well, that’s one way to put it. Then again, he hasn’t exactly rubbed you the way you’d wish him to…has he?”

The sorcerer shot the fox an annoyed look and the animal merely snickered. Merlin honestly didn’t know why he put up with her constant teasing of him and his crush on the royal.

“Doesn’t matter _where_ the rubbing happens if it isn’t happening at all. And be careful throwing the “w” word around. It’s how we got in this disaster in the first place.”

“Purely your own fault Merlin.”

The wizard sighed as he approached another fork in the road. “Tends to turn that way doesn’t it?”

…

Jareth peered at the human before him. The man was quite handsome, with his figure of brawn and sun-kissed hair. The goblin king could see how the prince before him had caught the fancy of Emerys.

“Boy, what is your name?”

The blond stared hard at Jareth and sneered towards the king. Jareth merely rolled his eyes. The prince may be royalty, but he certainly was childish. No wonder Emerys wished him away.

“It’s prince to _you_ …you…”

“The Goblin King. You certainly didn’t think _you_ were the _only_ royal did you? Your foolishness does not become someone of your stature little prince.” Jareth stepped away from his throne and walked towards the bounded man. His gloved finger tilted the chin upwards, so the sky blue eyes landed on his own mismatched pair.

“Now, tell me your name, little prince.”

He could see the royal struggling to resist but Jareth was using his fae magic to aid him getting the name. Names were power in the Underground, and the king knew that if Emerys had been here he would have warned the prince of their power. But alas, he was not and thus Jareth grinned as the blond uttered the word the king so desired to hear.

“Arthur. The name is Arthur.”

…

 

Merlin groaned at the dilemma before him. “This place is a bloody mess.”

“It’s a labyrinth. It’s _supposed_ to be confusing.”

“Well, left or right? Suppose there isn’t much else to it. We’ve been wandering for about an hour I reckon and not a change in scenery.”

“Let’s go left. There aren’t any clues about and I certainly don’t want to linger in any place for too long.”

“Too right. Well, left we shall go then.”

So Merlin followed the left path, wandering down it and keeping his senses on high alert as to anything that could appear and attack. However, the air was deadly silent until a faint chatter began to drift through the trees, embracing the pair in humor. Merlin wanted to laugh, but he didn’t know why, especially since his best friend was currently being held in a cell somewhere.

But laugh he did, until it took over his bones and body and he felt _light_ , lighter than he had in years…

And _that_ was when realization sunk in because in all of Merlin’s lives…happiness was fleeting and quite often an illusion. This moment was no different. The sorcerer snapped himself to a rude awakening, the joy fading away leaving him with a deep emotion of despair. The labyrinth was much more dangerous than he realized with it placing false hopes into his head and heart. He didn’t know what to make of the lie but decided that the only answer was to move forward until he came across the creature or thing that placed the deception on him.

And then he would destroy it with all of his power.

Sarah meanwhile felt the laughter recede as well from her body. Her green eyes strayed to the back of Merlin’s head. She couldn’t read his mind but could feel the tension rise through his lean frame. She hoped, for his sake, that he would remain calm. It did not do well to dwell on negativity in this place. Hope, although fleeting, was what made people keep going and aspire to achieve their goals. If Merlin was to succeed, he could not lose that faint flame.

And Sarah planned on doing her best to help him keep it burning.

The pair moved further down the path into a clearing that burned bright with colours of orange and red. The place seemed to be burning and in the middle was a small fire pit with flames flickering to stay alive. It wasn’t warm, however, but incredibly cold, to the point where Merlin’s fingertips began to turn blue.

The strangest part of the newfound place were the statues that stood, scattered amongst the clearing. They were made from metal, but there was so much rust and dirt that one would mistake it for nothing but pieces of scrap.

But Merlin knew that in the Underground, nothing was what it seemed and that he had to tread carefully. He could see the edge of the path on the other side of the clearing, where the forest’s edges kissed. Nothing seemed to be in his way, so he began walking slowly towards the continuation of his route, keeping both eyes open wide to make sure nothing moved.

Sarah, meanwhile, had a different train of thought than that of her comrade. She had never experienced this part of the labyrinth before, or maybe it was simply new. Emerald irises looked all around, falling on the statues that seem too ominous for their purpose.

“Merlin,” she whispered into his big ear, “Something’s not right here. Can you feel it?”

Merlin paused, his own eyes briefly going to hers as a way to indicate that yes, he _was_ aware of the atmosphere and that there was definitely something not right.

And then the statues moved.

…

 

“Arthur.”

The name rolled on his tongue like fine wine and Jareth could only allow his grin to further grow. There was no chance that this mere human was the reincarnation of King Arthur who united Albion?

Of all the odds…

A laugh sprouted out from the pits of Jareth’s belly and boomed across his empty throne room, echoing itself down the halls and through his kingdom. The blond meanwhile seemed to snap out of whatever trance he was in, and backed away quickly from the king.

“What did you do?”

Jareth smirked, and let the little prince scoot away from him. He walked back towards his throne, sitting on it as his eyes once again landed on the prince before him.

“So, Arthur,” he drawled, “Why are you here?”

“I bloody well _don’t know_! Merlin, _the idiot_ decided to wish me away, the fool! Wish me away! _Me_! The _Prince of Wales_! Utterly _laughable_ and yet, here I am! The daft _idiot_.”

Jareth’s eyebrows rose as he learned Emerys’s name. Merlin _hm_? That certainly meant that the Arthur before him was _indeed_ a reincarnation of the legendary King of Albion. And to learn his adversary’s true name…well, that certainly gave Jareth a leg up over Emerys didn’t it?

“I care none for your trivialities little prince. You bore me. Shall I send you back to the dungeons? Or shall you speak on something with a bit more…diversity?”

The blond seemed to ponder the words spoken to him from Jareth. The fae could see the wheels turning in his pretty head, mulling over the sentences, trying to find any sort of hidden meaning. Jareth knew he would find nothing as he held no ill intent towards Arthur, just annoyance at his childishness. The prince sighed then and reluctantly walked back towards the kind’s side.

“I’m here, because Merlin, the fool, wished me away thanks to his little book, which I’m surprised he even knew how to use magic let alone that it even existed.”

Jareth’s eyebrows rose. “For Emerys’s lover, I’m surprised that you do not know of his abilities.”

“What are you talking about? Emerys? Who in the blazing hell is that?”

“Your lover Merlin of course. Do you not know his fabled name little prince?”

“Merlin is not my lover. We are friends…nothing more and he certainly doesn’t have magic if that’s what you’re implying. The mere idea is laughable.”

Jareth peered down towards the little prince, wondering just what Emerys saw in the man. He shook his head and summoned a crystal in his hand.

“Come here Arthur and let us peer in on your friend to see if he is any closer to rescuing you.”

As Jareth looked in the orb while Arthur approached, he inwardly gleefully grinned, because he knew what the blond would see would change things in his favour. Oh, he would certainly win this little game.

Emerys stood no chance.

…

The statues moved with great agility and speed. They were so quick that Merlin barely managed to dodge the first attack. He rolled to the side, wincing as his body hit the ground hard. Sarah jumped off his neck just in time and landed gracefully on the dry grass before dashing to his side.

“You okay?”

“I’ve certainly been better. Well champion, tell me how to beat these things.”

“I don’t know Merlin. I never came to this part of the labyrinth or it’s a new addition.”

“Of course it is. Bloody hell.”

Merlin stood up as quick as he could but found that his movements had slowed down considerably. In fact, upon further inspection he could see that faint silver markings had begun to appear on his delicate skin, following his veins and shimmering like rivers. His brow furrowed and he looked up, only to swiftly move his head, narrowly missing an ice ball that whizzed by.

The statues were now glowing a fierce blue, similar to that of Arthur’s eyes but Merlin chose not to dwell on that. He attempted to create a fireball that he could send towards the statues but he found that he couldn’t produce any magic.

 _That_ wasn’t good.

“Sarah?”

“Yes, Merlin?”

“We’ve got a problem.”

“What?”

The fox was weaving in-between Merlin’s legs as he danced around the clearing, dodging all sort of attacks and trying to produce his own. “I can’t make magic.”

“What do you mean you can’t _make_ magic?”

“I bloody can’t! Whatever this place is, is preventing me from producing any sort of element to aid us.” Merlin swerved to the right as he spoke, running around much like a madman. “Any ideas as to what we can do?”

Sarah rushed through her brain, trying to recall her memories from her run in the labyrinth. How did magic work here? The only thing she could think of was the Goblin King as his orbs…Wait a minute…

“Merlin! Try creating an orb! Crystal orbs like that of the Goblin King! Maybe you have to manifest your magic that way!” she yelled to him as he was now far from her.

“Worth a shot!” he shouted back. Sarah watched in hope and fear as Merlin swirled his hand around, mimicking the movements of the Goblin King. A red orb appeared then in his hand and Merlin grinned wickedly, before sending it straight towards a statue. The orb exploded on impact and burned the metal. A horrible smell entered the air as the figure began to melt and with the smell came a blood-curdling scream. Flames licked up the figurine until there was nothing but a pile of ash. The eyes of the statues turned unanimously towards their fallen comrade and a sheet of ice cracked and fell off of Merlin. He stood there, glaring at the creatures with a scarlet orb in his hand. Magic crackled around him, unlike anything that Sarah had ever seen and for once she was afraid of Merlin. The eyes then all peered at Merlin, being the only moving things in the clearing before they attacked again.

They were much faster this time, and one managed to grasp onto Merlin’s arm, digging its nails into his jacket. He grunted and slammed the red orb onto the statue's arm. It burned it’s way up the body until another pile of ash appeared. Merlin kept moving though, knowing that if he stopped he’d give them a moment to attack. He produced two more red orbs before chucking them at the remaining statues. Both crystals hit their targets perfectly and more screams crashed into the air. The ravenet covered his ears, willing the painful sounds to stop. His eyes strayed to Sarah, who was looking at him in absolute fear and his heart clenched.

She had never seen his true colours until now and Merlin was petrified as to how she could react. He had never been so cruel before, but he had no choice. Hopefully, she would understand that.

The screams stopped and the clearing became silent. Merlin slowly took his hands off of his ears to look around. Blue eyes widened in surprise as he took in the scenery before him.

It was no longer burning brightly in colour but back to having a healthy spring look. The fire pit was replaced with a stream while the grass was fresh, remnants of dew on the blades and a vibrant green that it momentarily blinded the pair.

“The creatures were poisoning the labyrinth. Now it’s healed…or part of it anyway.”

“Merlin…” Sarah muttered, slowly walking up beside him. The sorcerer knelt down on one knee and looked Sarah in her green eyes.

“I’m sorry Sarah…I just…I _had_ to stop them. I realize that you’re probably terrified of me now but I swear to you I’d never hurt anyone! No, unless they were threatening someone I cared about deeply! And I couldn’t let you die because you’re one of my only friends and I don’t have very many of those and you…you mean a lot to me and I couldn’t…”

Sarah raised a paw, placing it only Merlin’s lips, silencing him. “I know you wouldn’t hurt a fly unless you absolutely had to. I’ll admit, I was rather scared but now it’s more shock. You pack quite the punch, don’t you Merlin?”

The ravenet grinned, chuckling at the mirth in Sarah’s eyes. “I suppose so.” He lowered himself to the ground, taking a moment to breathe and look around before moving on further.

“Why would the Goblin King have those creatures in his labyrinth? Especially with the damage, they had done? They were poisoning the land…and yet he did nothing. It seems…odd.” Spoke the sorcerer as he took in the scenery. Sarah simply sat beside him, her own eyes scanning the land.

“I don’t know Merlin but from what I know of him he wouldn’t let creatures like that into his labyrinth.”

“So how did they get in? And how did he not know they were there?”

To that Sarah had no answer, and the pair sat in silence, having more questions than they would like.

…

Meanwhile, back at the castle, Arthur pulled away from the crystal. Jareth grinned smugly, and flicked his wrist, making the crystal disappear. He was about to say something clever until he noticed the paleness of the prince. He had gone deathly white, and his legs were shaking. Jareth got up, concern filling his eyes until he lunged, catching Arthur who had just collapsed.

“Arthur?” he whispered, the sudden change of heart being ignored for the wellness of his prisoner. Never say he did not have a kind heart.

“He has magic...and he…he never told me. OF all the years I’ve known him and yet he…never said a word. I just…”

The blond pushed himself away from the king and walked over to the windowsill, staring out at the labyrinth, wondering where Merlin was. Arthur didn’t know what to feel after the revelation. He was angry, furious really, and miserable, and broken really…the man he dreamed about every night, the man who had captured his heart and soul…just…Merlin…had lied to Arthur in the worst way possible.

“You must move on from this. Let him find you and then you may deal with it later.” Spoke Jareth. But Arthur didn’t hear him, his mind too muddled with emotion.

“I was going to give up the world for him. My life, all that I was raised to be, all that I had worked for…I was going to give it up for him, just to hear him say three words and yet…it turns out…I don’t even know him. How can I love someone I don’t even know?”

As Jareth stood and watched the little prince his beating heart went out to him, for he had finally found someone who understood the agony of the betrayal from someone you love. Emerys lied to his lover for years and Sarah…

Sarah rejected Jareth when he was at his weakest. She practically spat in his face and stomped on his heart, gripping it, squeezing it until it was nothing but dust.

“They are cruel, the ones we love. Come, Arthur, you need rest.”

Arthur pushed off of the windowsill, still in some sort of trance and Jareth led him to a guest bedroom through the halls of the castle. Now that the fae had found a kindred spirit, he refused to let him sleep in the dungeons. The broken heart would need mending, and Jareth wished for Emerys to fail in the quest. He did no deserve the prince’s affections.

He watched as the prince collapsed on the bed and began to weep. Jareth sighed and shut the door, leaving the blond to his tears. He himself had been there and now his heart had hardened, just as the prince’s would. Solitude would fix Arthur, just as it had Jareth.

As the thoughts took over the Goblin King he bared his fangs, walking through his halls furiously. He was going to make sure Emerys did not succeed, for the sorcerer was a man who played with hearts and broke them, just like Sarah, and he, just like Sarah, did not deserve happiness when he so willingly took it from others and crushed it.

Emerys would lose this game and Jareth and Arthur would watch in glee as Emerys, and his little vixen, burned in the agony of loss. Jareth summoned another orb and peered into its depths, his eyes glaring at Emerys and his familiar.

“Run little boy run.” He whispered and gleefully watched as panic began to set into Emerys’s eyes.


	3. Chilly Down, Chilly Down

Chapter 3

Chilly Down, Chilly Down

_“Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and often times we call a man cold when he is only sad.”_

_― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow_

_“Run little boy run.”_

The words boomed through the clearing, startling Merlin and Sarah. The sorcerer shot to his feet, whipping around in an absolute frenzy, _desperate_ to figure out where the voice came from. But he very well _knew_ the source of the sound and it certainly wasn’t _anywhere_ near him.

“Goblin King.” He whispered into the air. The words drifted through the wind that swirled around the wizard and his familiar, tearing into their souls’ _absolute_ bitterness. Merlin dropped to his knees, clutching his chest where his heart pounded against his ribcage. He could _feel_ his magic threatening to burst, to fight that who _dared_ challenge it. But the ravenet dug his fingers into the ground, dirt crawling into his nails in a vain attempt to keep himself grounded.

Sarah meanwhile moved her tiny body quickly to face her friend, hoping that he was alright after the goblin king’s sudden words. She rested a paw on him for reassurance, but pulled it back, shocked at the chill that had settled onto Merlin.

“Merlin…you’re _freezing_.”

He raised his eyes to the vixen and her own grew wide in response. “Your eyes…”

His brow furrowed and he weaved an orb into his hand. He stared into hit and gasped, before dropping the crystal and scrambling backwards.

His eyes were _pale blue_ rather than the usual royal blue. In fact, they looked almost _white_. After the shock receded, Merlin grasped his arm, wincing in pain. Sarah prodded over and pushed away his sleeve, only to reveal glacial markings scrawling up his arm from where the statue had scratched him.

“Merlin…I think it _infected_ you.”

“With _what_?” he rasped out.

“I’m not sure. But you’re cold to the touch, your eyes are so pale, and your skin almost has a faint blue tinge to it. It _had_ to have happened when the statue grabbed you.”

“We need to keep moving. We can’t settle for long.”

“But Merlin…”

“ _No buts._ Let’s go.”

Sarah’s small head only nodded and she nudged the wizard with her nose, indicating that he was to stand up. Merlin slowly made his way to his feet, creating an orb as he did so. He placed it gently on the scratches and watched as a red neckerchief appeared and wrapped itself around the wound.

“There. That should stop the bleeding for a bit. Onwards we go.” Merlin scooped up the vixen, placing her back on his shoulders before leaving the clearing and submerging into the dark forest once more.

…

Arthur laid in the guest bed, the blankets scooped up to his chin as he blankly stared at the window. Rain began to hit the glass, and the blond let his eyes follow the drops down until they disappeared between the window and its frame.

He felt…dead. As if someone had torn up all of his insides, burned them in a fire and then made him swallow the ashes. But the _worst_ part…the absolutely _fucking_ worst part…was that despite what _he_ did (Arthur dare not utter the name for the fear of letting the rivers flow) is that he _still_ loved him.

And it hurt. It hurt so _god damn much_ that Arthur wanted to tear out his heart and crush it into dust. Or do _something_ that would end whatever _agonizing_ pain he was feeling because the raw emotion was just too _much_. _Far_ too much for the blond’s liking. If this was what being in love was like, Arthur wished for no more part of it.

Merlin didn’t _deserve_ his affection or his heart, not anymore. Arthur had planned to tell Merlin after graduation. After Merlin walked across the stage taking his diploma and the pair took a _million_ pictures…Arthur was going to tell him. And they would have kissed _epically_ and the whole world would rejoice (except his father, but who cared about the bastard’s opinion anyway, _Merlin_ certainly never did).

As the wizard’s name passed through the prince’s mind he growled, throwing off the blanket as he got up from his lie in and walked around the stone room. He couldn’t let _Merlin_ win because that’s bloody well what _he_ wanted!

With a renewed sense of vigour, Arthur stormed into the bathroom, washed himself clean and grabbed a set of clothing that had randomly appeared on his bed, dressed himself and headed out into the hall.

However, upon arrival of the hall, he realized, that, well, he didn’t very well _know_ where to go now did he? Merlin always _did_ say Arthur tended to act _too_ rashly, never thinking things through. The blond snarled as the wizard’s name appeared in his head again.  He _would not,_ under _any_ circumstances, think about the big eared, fae like face, stunning blue eyes _or_ utterly, _unbearably_ , kissable lips.

_No more._

Footsteps echoed across the hall and Arthur’s head turned to face the noise. A fat, wrinkly goblin appeared and the blond wrinkled his nose in disgust. How _dare_ something so _vile_ approach him.

“Who are _you_?”

“Hoggle, your majesty.”

At least the _thing_ showed respect. The prince simply snooted in response.

“And what are _you_ doing here exactly?”

“His majesty asked for you to join him for dinner, sire.”

Arthur furrowed his brow as he recalled previous events. He never _did_ receive the king’s name which was odd and _incredibly_ rude. The prince would have to demand it at supper then.

“Very well Hogsworth, lead the way.”

And Arthur began to stride by the little creature, completely unaware of the goblin muttering under his breath, before following after the prince. “It’s _Hoggle_.” 

…

 

The pair continued to walk through the dark forest, every once in a while, glancing back to make sure nothing was following them. Merlin could feel his professor curling herself tighter around his neck when she felt afraid. She wouldn’t show it, but he knew. 

And she was tending to do it more often as they progressed further into the woods. He didn’t know what he would find. He certainly didn’t have anything to point him in the right direction towards the castle, only instinct…and whatever knowledge Sarah had.

The sorcerer sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, pausing his footsteps as he did so. “Where do we go from here Sarah?”

The vixen sighed. “I’m not sure. We could venture off into the forest and make our own path. Or we could stick to this one. Those are our only options at the moment. And I certainly don’t want to go into the woods so to speak.”

“Path it is then.”

So Merlin, _much_ to his reluctance stuck to the path. They continued to wander until night fell, shrouding the world into an inky black. The forest seemed scarier now as they walked through the woods.

“Merlin, we need to set up camp.”

“Agreed. Alright, well, do you gave any suggestions as to where to sleep then? Because there are no places here certainly to lie down and I’m positively _positive_ that lying down on a dirt road wasn’t in either of our plans for a good night sleep.

Sarah huffed and hopped off Merlin’s shoulders before making her way down the path. “I’ll scout ahead and you can stay here and make a fire or something. We need light.”

And with that she was off, leaving Merlin to his own devices which, in his _and_ Arthur’s opinion, was never a good thing.

…

Arthur entered, what he _presumed_ to be the dining hall. A crystal chandelier hug from the ceiling while candles arranged themselves throughout the long table that faced the blond as soon as he walked in.  Torches lit the room, setting a sweet ambiance of, what Arthur would interpret as companionship of comrades and nothing more.

He made his way to his seat at the table, which was directly across from the Goblin King, who was currently staring into on of his orbs, brow furrowed. He seemed rather concentrated on his menial task and it wasn’t until the chair _scraped_ against the cool stone that the fae even registered the prince’s presence.

“Little prince. Glad you could join. You must be hungry. Please, eat.”

Jareth gestured to the spread before them, which had a variety of meats, cheeses, fruits and vegetables. It was quite an arrangement and even Arthur, despite his pratiness, was impressed by it.

“Thank you.”

Arthur picked up a turkey leg and began to devour it, relishing the juices and fine tastes in his mouth. Jareth only looked on amused at the prince, before bringing his attention back to the orb.

Emery’s companion was no longer with him. The vixen had vanished, leaving the sorcerer all alone. But what Jareth found _most_ odd, were the markings on the boy’s skin. They were something that Jareth had only seen once in his life, long ago, and he pursed his lips in concern. Those kinds of creatures, creatures of _dark matter_ , should not _be_ in his labyrinth. They certainly weren’t before the arrival of Emerys and they shouldn’t have been there _now._

This was not good.

Jareth’s eyes strayed to the blond, wondering how he could use him to gain advantage of Emerys further, but also gain some answers from the powerful being. Then again, Emerys was young, _incredibly so_ , and therefore could not possibly know anything about those creatures.

“King!”

The word shouted itself across the table into Jareth’s ear, causing him to roll his eyes and direct them to the prince. “ _Yes_ , little prince?”

“ _What_ is your name?”

“Many refer to me as the Goblin King.”

“I know that. I meant your _real_ name. You faes have a thing with that don’t you? You know mine and it is only common courtesy for me to know yours. So…?”

Jareth only looked on amused. So there _was_ more to this prince than meets the eye if he recognized the fae _as a_ fae and also understood a little bit about the power of names. But how the blond was ignorant to Emery’s true nature…that, to Jareth, was baffling.

Moving on from that thought, was the question of whether or not Jareth should even _tell_ the little prince his name. But Arthur was a kindred spirit and the goblin king believed that no harm would come to him in the prince’s hands.

“Jareth.”

“Rather odd name but I suppose you’re not really human so…there’s that. Then again, who names a human child _Merlin_ of all things…”

A look of anger passed over the blond’s face, and he scowled as more food entered his mouth. The prince was _most_ unhappy with mentioning Merlin’s name again because it just reminded him of how much it _hurt_ to be in love with a liar.

Jareth, meanwhile was having _quite_ enough wallowing. In fact, he very much wished to get back to watching Emerys through the labyrinth however, there was research to be done. He didn’t remember much about the _Stytta_ other than they being creatures of dark matter. And creatures from dark matter hadn’t been seen of in a long time. They were, to young fae, myths, but to those who had been around for _millennias_ such as Jareth and Emerys, they were very much fact.

“If you shall excuse me little prince, I have something I must attend to.” Jareth stood up whisking away his dishes before leaving the dining hall. Before he fully exited the room though, a scraping of a chair was heard and footsteps approaching him. He turned, curious as to what his prisoner was doing.

“ _What_ are you doing?”

“Coming with you _obviously._ I’m certainly not going to sit around here and be the damsel in distress. That was _Merlin’s_ job the bloody idiot. And now’s he’s off _gallivanting_ in some _labyrinth_ to win what? My _affection_? Well he _certainly_ is not going to get it. But if I stay put I’m going to get bored and you certainly don’t want that. According to Merlin, I’m very dangerous when bored. And you can’t very well injure the prize can you? In this little game of yours?”

Once again, Jareth was rendered speechless by the strange insight of the little prince. “Very well,” he spoke on, amusement in his voice, “Follow me. We’re going to see if we can help you lover.”

“He’s _not_ my lover.”

“And yet, you wish him to be. How strange you deny something you so _evidently_ want. You humans are strange. Though, he did betray you and for that I understand your emotions towards him.”

“You have been betrayed by someone you loved?”

A beautiful face with stunning green eyes, wearing dress of white silk and silver tinsel strewn through her hair. A smile, reserved _only_ for him and so _rare_ to see decorating her face. _Sarah._

“Yes. A long time ago.”

The goblin king’s tone bore no room for continuation and Arthur simply followed the fae, wondering just _who_ had the ability to crush a fae king’s heart.

…

Merlin didn’t know what to make of the darkness that now encompassed him. With the missing presence of his professor, he somehow felt more fearful of his surroundings which was silly, seeing as he was the most powerful person in the world, he really shouldn’t be quivering in his boots.

So Merlin, being the resourceful person he was, searched the forest edges, grabbing some broken logs and slim sticks and built himself a fire. Of course, he produced a glistening orange crystal and threw it on the wood, watching as an ember sparked, until the whole pit was burning bright.

The heat from the flames warmed is cooling body, and he watched in a morbid fascination as the frozen spirals that glittered on his skin from the moonlight, begun to melt, only to reappear moments after. His fingers faintly traced the patterns, and the rivers along his skin felt like pure ice. He rewrapped the bandage, deciding that it was best to no longer focus on his impending doom but rather on rescuing Arthur.

His fire went out as soon as the blond entered his mind though. He whipped his head around, the thoughts no longer concentrating on the prince but on the sudden darkness. His pale blue eyes flashed gold, and he twirled his wrist to create a white orb. The orb glowed brightly, illuminating a path he hadn’t seen when the fire had been lit.

This trail ventured away from the main path he and Sarah agreed to stay on but Merlin slowly walked over to it, ever curious about the sudden appearance.

He raised the glowing crystal high to try and get a better look at the trail. As he did so, the orb vanished, drowning merlin back into the obsidian. He raised his hand to create another light, but a blue figure appeared in his hand then, similar to a ghost, but much, much smaller. Merlin’s eyes grew wide.

“A wisp? But…you don’t belong here…you’re a creature of _dark matter_. The labyrinth is ancient magic it shouldn’t have…”

Memories came rushing through the sorcerer’s mind like a storm from his past lives, telling him what was going on, _hinting_ at the bigger picture, _urging him_ to put the pieces together.

And Merlin, through the _insanity_ of his cognition managed to figure out the puzzle. But there was still _one missing piece_.

“Alright then. Lead me where you want me to go.”

The wisp only nodded its head before disappearing from his outstretched hand and appearing further down the trail. Merlin gulped down his anxiety and pushed forward, entering the forbidden forest and venturing off the path into the unknown.

…

Sarah dashed through the underbrush with great speed. She wasn’t precisely sure of _what_ she’d be finding up ahead, but she hoped that it would be something helpful to figure out where _exactly_ they were to go. One could only wander for so long.

Unfortunately, her wanderings were to come to a cease as her eyes failed to let her notice the trap laid out on the path. It snatched her up into a net all too quickly and her tiny body shot into the air.

“Well this is _shit_. How do I get myself out of this predicament?” she spoke to the silence around her.

Green eyes scanned the area and she did _not_ like what she saw. The professor could see she was very high up off the ground, that night had fallen leaving her in _absolute_ darkness (though thanks to Merlin’s magic, she had night vision which was _awesome_ ) so that wasn’t so bad.

And in her fox form her sense of hearing had heightened which meant she could hear the bushes rustling. “Looks like whatever wants to eat me is coming. Oh how to get myself out of this one. Well done Sarah. Well _fucking_ done.” She whispered to herself as she waited for the hunter to show.

To her utter surprise, it was none other than _Hoggle_ and Sarah squealed in delight. However, the goblin didn’t recognize the professor and took her sound as fear rather than joy.

“Shut yer trap. Goblin’s got to eat, yes we do.”

“Hoggle. It’s me! It’s Sarah!” screeched Sarah as he lowered down the net to the ground floor. The goblin’s brow furrowed as he recognized the voice but _not_ the body. “Sarah ain’t a filthy animal! She’s a nice human! Not some mangy fox. Besides, foxes don’t talk, and you a talking.”

Hoggle grabbed Sarah by the leg and ripped the net violently off of her. She winced as the rough rope rubbed her fur the wrong way. “Hoggle, it really is me. It’s Sarah.” She whispered, hoping that he’d distinguish her. The turned her body so her eyes looked straight into his. He peered a little before gasping and setting her down on the forest floor gently.

“Oh! Miss Sarah! I didn’t know! Hoggle so sorry! So sorry for hurting you! You aren’t hurt are you?”

“No Hoggle. I’m fine.”

“You look a lot different Miss Sarah. Why you an animal?”

“My friend transformed me into one when we entered the labyrinth to keep me safe from the goblin king.”

“Smart one. Your friend smart.”

“Yes well, _despite_ his intelligence I need to get back to him. Would you like to join me Hoggle?”

“Yes Miss Sarah. Keep you away from that nasty Jareth.”

“Jareth?”

“That’s the goblin king’s real name. Yes it is.”

Sarah tucked that little tidbit away for future use. “Hm. Interesting. Well, I came that way so I guess we should go in that direction.”

Hoggle merely nodded as the vixen walked forward. “Wait! Miss Sarah! _Look_!”

The professor turned her head to see what had captured her friend’s attention. Before them floated what seemed to be a small blue flame with two pale blue eyes. “A wisp.” She muttered, fascination taking over. She had studied wisps when she was doing her masters, and in fact, it was what she had based her thesis on.

“A what?”

“A wisp. They’re rumored to lead you too your destiny. I never thought I’d see one. And yet, here it is.” She puttered over to it until it was floating just before her nose. She reached out to sniff it, but then it vanished, only to reappear on a trail that led into the forest, far off the path. Sarah began to follow the wisp until she felt Hoggle grab her tail.

“Sarah. _Don’t_. You don’t know what’s in there.”

“Hoggle, I must. I can’t ignore my destiny. Besides, I have a gut feeling that the wisps will lead us to Merlin. So I’m going. You can come or not.”

And with that Sarah flicked her tail and followed the wisps. Hoggle, sighed before running off after his friend before he caught up to her side. Sarah sent him a smile before focusing back on the floating blue flames.

The trail seemed to go on for hours, and it didn’t help that the pair had nothing to do to pass the time. The forest seemed to glower at them as they moved through the trees, but Sarah was determined to stay on the path. Soon, with a few twitches of her ears, the vixen could hear _splashing_ occurring and with her sight, could sense that the trail was almost at an end and they would be appearing onto a beach. Her tiny feet picked up their pace, and soon she was running towards the sound. Merlin’s voice could be heard and it grew the closer she got to the source. The wisps disappeared all together once she skidded across the rocky shore, and her eyes looked out onto the silent waters. The green irises grew wide at what she saw and she screamed, “MERLIN! _NO!_ ”

…

Jareth sat in his study, with a vast amount of texts and tomes surrounding him. He flipped through pages quickly, trying to get a sense on what was occurring in his labyrinth. Arthur meanwhile was finding the books that the goblin king wished to read. The blond wasn’t aware of what was going on precisely, but he knew that it was grim enough to have the king tensed.

“Jareth, if I may be so bold…”

“Spit it out little prince.”

“What exactly is going on? You seem… _afraid_.”

Mismatched eyes strayed to blue ones and Arthur had to hold a shudder as they peered into his mind and soul. The colours of Jareth’s eyes flickered and changed before he ran his hands through his wispy hair.

“Something _dark_ has entered my kingdom and I fear it may come to my people. As of now, it stays in the labyrinth. But my maze was not built for such darkness. It was founded on dreams and wishes and now… _now_ it is that of nightmares and sinful requests. I do not know how it came to be, and I do not know how to stop it. So I must search these endless words until I find something that can illuminate what to do before all is lost.”

Arthur only nodded. What could he _say_? He knew _nothing_ of the fae and their ways. He knew nothing of these creatures that lurked in the shadows of the labyrinth. “Well, I may not have the knowledge that you have, but I can certainly help you look. I understand not wanting to lose one’s subjects to the darkness of the world.”

Jareth nodded in thanks before resuming his reading. The little prince kept astounding him with his courage and bravery. The blond reminded him immensely of Sarah. To that, Jareth’s heart ached. He wished to see her face one more time, to ask her to let her let him love her and to let her love him in return. But alas, it could never be, as she was Aboveground and no longer remembered her time in his kingdom, as all children who grow up do.

“Jareth. Could we…do you think if we asked Merlin, he’d know?”

The fae tilted his head. It was possible, certainly. Though the pair were currently adversaries as per the rules of the runner and the labyrinth, but Jareth supposed the situation was dire enough to have a break in the time.

“Very well. Let us ask and see what he says. A little help could not hurt.”

Jareth flicked his wrist, summoning an orb into his palm. The prince made his way over and peered over the king’s shoulder to stare into the orb. What he saw shocked him and out of fear Arthur grabbed the crystal from Jareth’s hands.

“MERLIN!” he screamed as he watched in horror at the scene unfolding. However, upon touching the crystal, Arthur screamed in agony as a burning pain shot into his arms, He dropped the crystal and it smashed into smithereens once it hit the floor.

“YOU FOOL!” cried Jareth to ran to the prince’s side. The blond kept screaming for the pain was _absolutely_ unbearable. The goblin king grabbed the prince’s hands and looked at them.

They were burned. This was not good.

…

Merlin exited the forest and found himself standing on a rocky shore. The moon’s reflection shone on the clear and silent waters and a wooden rowboat sat, nestled in the pebbles, off to the side. The wisp before him disappeared and then resurfaced, floating above the boat. The sorcerer made his way over and pushed the vessel into the waves. He climbed in and took the oars pushing himself out into the middle of the waters. There, he waited with baited breath, for what was to come.

A splash occurred to his left, fairly far away until another one happened but closer. He watched as whatever was in the water moved closer to him until he saw slender fingers curl on the edge of his boat. Soon arms joined, until an all too familiar face appeared, smirking at him with her sinister eyes.

“ _Nimue_.”

“Ah, so you _do_ remember me. Fantastic.”

“You’re a mermaid.”

“Well spotted. Yes, after you killed me I was reincarnated as this kind of fae. I certainly have no complaints. Life has treated me well living here. However, I _am_ intrigued as to your presence. You don’t belong here Emerys.”

“Yes, well, I’m rescuing someone.”

“That prince of yours in trouble again? Did you _wish_ him away Emerys?” spoke the siren with a hint of amusement in her voice.

Merlin grumbled under his breath at Nimue’s insight. She always _had_ been rather good at seeing what one wished for her not to see.

“Something like that.”

The mermaid hummed. “Something like that indeed. Tell me Emerys, why can’t you simply leave him here? Your world doesn’t need more kings and queens. It’s corrupted enough without their ignorance on the thrones. Why not save the world by leaving him here?”

It was a tempting thought to Merlin’s more vicious side, but the part that was in love with the prat refused. “I can’t and it’s as simple as that.”

Nimue only hummed in response. Her eyes dragged themselves to his bandage. She unwrapped it, never giving him a glance and soon her fingers were dancing on the tendrils of ice that encased the skin.

“You’ve been marked…and yet…you have not succumbed.”

“I’m sorry?”

Nimue’s eyes shot to his and a feral grin spread upon her cheeks. “Ah. _It’s_ given you more time.”

“What’s given me more time? The labyrinth?”

Another hum answered him followed by a wind blowing in-between them, rocking gentle waves against the boat. The mermaid’s eyes turned into a sea green before back to blue and she grasped the lapels of Merlin’s clothes.

“What are you doing?”

Another smirk appeared. “Helping you of course.” And with that, Nimue kissed Merlin’s lips and her magic kept him in her grasp as she pulled him down into the cold waters below.

…


	4. Isn't That Generous?

Chapter 4

Isn't That Generous?

_“Because there's nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline, no matter how many times it's sent away.”_

_― Sarah Kay_

Arthur’s eyes slowly blink back open to life, as candlelight seeped into his vision. He found himself laying on silk sheets with a thick blanket thrown over him to provide warmth. However, he felt as if he was on fire and kicked the throw off of him until he was panting for breath. Sweat clung to his skin and dampened the sheets beneath his form. Somewhere nearby a door opened and close, but the blond didn’t pay much attention because he soon realized his hands were wrapped in thick bandages to the point where they looked more like _clubs_ than fingers.

A goblin appeared as his side then, blinking a few times before speaking. “Prince! Do not move! Your hands must heal!”

Blue eyes went to the small creature standing by his bedside. She (and he’d assumed it’s a she due to the high pitched voice and dress she was wearing) gives him daggers through her eyes, indicating that he is to stay in bed.

Arthur however, wished to do no such thing seeing as his love was currently drowning, or very well had drowned, and that just wouldn’t do. Of course, the goblin lady certainly wasn’t going to let him go. And, well, Arthur wasn’t a prince simply because he was _pretty._ He has rather smart too.

“Excuse me miss…ah…”

“Missy sire.”

“Right. Missy, I _am_ feeling rather parched. Could you possibly give me a glass of water?”

The goblin blushed at the kindness of the prince as he dazzled her with his charming smile. He oozed out _something_ that she couldn’t quite put a finger on, but who was she to deny a royal (and a handsome one at that) something that would be good for him?

“Of course!” she curtsied before disappearing through some trapdoor in the floor. _That_ perturbed Arthur for a few moments until he pulled himself out of the staring and back to his quest. Never mind the issue that goblins could simply appear _willy nilly_ without him having a clue in his room (something that he would be discussing _at length_ with Jareth as soon as rescuing Merlin was done). 

He scrambled off the bed, cursing the fact that his hands were wrapped in big, bulging bandages. _That_ would slow him down but he had dealt with worse. The blond walked into the main hall, glancing around to make sure no one was following him. With a confirmation that no one was around, the prince snuck into the hall and made his way to the throne room. Because attached to the throne room would be the armory and _there_ he could grab some swords, daggers, knives…essentially the works. He remembered Merlin jokingly speaking about past lives sometime ago when he was writing a paper on the subject, and he told the blond that he firmly believed in them. Arthur of course had scoffed at the idea, claiming it silly and utterly _impossible._ Though now knowing that Merlin had magic made the blond wonder whether or not there was some truth to the matter, and if so, was _he_ a reincarnation of King Arthur from Camelot if _Merlin_ was a reincarnation, of well, Merlin the wizard?

Surely, it couldn’t be _that_ far fetched now could it?

At that point of thought, Arthur had arrived in the throne room. He scanned the empty chamber, and with a satisfied nod, began to walk around. He didn’t think Jareth would leave the armory door out in the open, especially with his subjects being _goblins_ (which weren’t very bright creatures mind you, and if they got their hands on a sword, well _who knew_ what damage they would cause) therefore, the door had to be concealed.

Which meant magic or a hidden contraption. Arthur hoped for the latter. He placed his back on the wall, once more cursing the gods for his wrapped hands as he slowly moved along the edges and crevices of the stone. The sharp points jabbed him in the back, making the blond wince in a brief pain before continuing on. As Arthur made his way around the room he finally stumbled upon an odd angle. He turned around, peering at the spot he felt the strangeness from, but could see nothing.

“It’s illusioned little prince.”

Arthur spun around incredibly quickly, tumbling to the floor ungracefully. He popped right back up, grumbling under his breath all while the fae king looked on amused at the whole situation. Typical really, thought Arthur to himself as he dusted off the dirt that now covered his clothes.

“Well then can you _dis_ enchant it?”

“Now why would I do that? You’re certainly in no form to fight anything in my labyrinth. You are a flickering flame that a mere blow could put out. Your life is feeble little prince and I wish not to waste it. You will stay here and I shall go.”

“No! Look, you _need_ me. Merlin simply isn’t going just join you! He’s going to think you’ve done something to me! Only _I_ can reason with him, assuming that he is still alive.”

With that the prince grew solemn, and Jareth looked on, wondering just why Arthur still cared for the man who betrayed him. How can one love someone so cruel?

“And even though I despise him…I still need to know if he’s alive. I haven’t finished hating him yet. So, Jareth, you _will_ take me with you.”

The fae king stared at the prince before complying to his command. Jareth would have resisted, but the prince spoke his name and therefore the king could not refuse. With only a nod, he waved his hand and the wall began to shimmer. Sparkling dust flew to the cobbled floor, and once all of the stardust had fallen, a door appeared with a hefty handle. Arthur went to grasp it until he realized he was unable to do so. His blue eyes made themselves over to the mismatched pair, to which Jareth rolled his eyes before grasping the handles and pushing the door open.

Inside made Arthur grin. It was the armory indeed and the blond was taken aback by the variety of weaponry he saw. There were even some arms that the prince did not recognize. He walked around in awe, taking it all in before turning to face a rather smug king.

“Like what you see little prince?”

“You have quite the collection. No quite the United Kingdom’s of course, but I suppose it’ll do.” A wave of smugness rolled over the blond as he saw the fae king’s reaction falter before sneering at the prince.

“Your words mean nothing little prince. Come, let us saddle you with the appropriate attire before we venture into the Labyrinth. There is much we must prepare for.”

…

Sarah watched in horror as her student was pulled into the depths of the dark water. Her little feet scampered across the rocky shore, in a vain hope of reaching Merlin. She screamed his name once more but there was no answer. Merely a plop to signal that he had indeed gone beneath the waves.

The vixen sat herself down on the pebbles, tears beginning to fill up her eyes.

“ _Merlin._ ” she whispered faintly before breaking down into sobs. Her tiny shoulders shook until soon her whole body could barely keep itself up. It wasn’t until she felt grubby hands pick her up and a familiar warmth encompass her that her tears began to slow and her breaths become deep.

“Hoggle,” she sniffed, “He’s gone. Merlin is well and truly gone.”

The goblin couldn’t say much to her so he chose to rock her back and forth gently in his arms. Perhaps the king could bring back Miss Sarah’s friend. After all, Jareth had always seemed to have a soft spot for her.

“C’mon Miss Sarah, we got to get going. Can’t stay here.”

“Alright Hoggle. Let’s go to the town. I think some rest will do us good.”

…

After saddling the prince with a sword, shield, daggers and hefty armour, Jareth knew that they were almost ready to head out to the labyrinth. However, there was still the matter of the blond’s hands.

Currently, Arthur was seated on a wooden bench in the dining hall, as Jareth’s right hand maid, Abbigail, tenderly unwrapped the bandages. Abbigail was the only civilian of the goblin Kingdom that was not a goblin. She was a dwarf who had sought refuge in Jareth’s kingdom after her previous master had dumped her body at the entrance of the labyrinth for death. She had a hard attitude but was a good, honest female. And to that, Jareth could only be thankful. It helped to have someone of sanity in the mist of his chaos.

“Well, Abbigail?”

“You done it this time Jareth. You and those bloody crystals I tell ya, getting you into all sorts of trouble. And humans! _Humans_ Jareth! Never heard of such a thing since the last runner.”

“His hands Abbigail.”

The dwarf unwrapped the last bandage, revealing a sight for sore eyes. Arthur hands were blistered and charred, with skin sticking to the dressings and trickles of blood escaping from his veins.

“You did quite a number to yerself didn’t ya princey?”

Arthur simply grumbled in response, unable to form any sort of coherent words due to the pain that begun to emerge after the shock wore off. He hissed as she began to apply a thick cream to the burns.

“Shut yer trap princey. For a royal you certainly can’t handle the pain can ya?”

Jareth leaned against a column, chuckling to himself at his maid’s antics. A true treasure she was. Despite her good nature, the king was still worried. If this remedy failed to cure the prince’s hands, then he would be of no use for him and despite not wanting Arthur to aid Jareth in the labyrinth, the blond’s help would be greatly appreciated.

Moments passed, seemingly far too long for anyone’s liking. The room was silent in anticipation as they waited. The cream soothed itself into the markings on Arthur’s hands, smoothing the skin to be as it once was. Eventually, the hands became unscathed, as if it had never been touched in the first place. The only indicator of injury, were four faint, shimmering scars that paralleled four significant lines on the prince’s hands.

“Will they go away?” he asked quietly, fear seeping into the end of his sentence as his eyes widened, frantically looking between the two people standing with him. Abbigail shrugged. “I don’t know. Ya shouldn’t have scars. Suppose the cream didn’t work as nicely as it should have. Jareth?”

The king took the scar hands in his own, gazing upon the silvery accents that wove between cells. “Magic is at work here, but of what matter I do not know. Let us hope it is for better than for worse.”

Arthur merely nodded in agreement. He flexed his fingers, curling them in and out, before letting them rest. They felt…foreign. As if they weren’t really his anymore. Something happened when he touched that crystal, something that gave him an eerie feeling. He swallowed it down as the fae king began to grab their weapons and armour. Arthur stood, thanked Abbigail for her help before joining Jareth. The king grabbed a great sword and was about to tuck it into his sheath before Arthur placed his hand on the fae’s wrist.

“Let me wield it. Please.”

The Goblin King looked into Arthur’s eyes, penetrating their defense to truly stare at his soul. The prince allowed him, and as a result, Jareth passed the blond the weapon. Arthur bowed his head in thanks. As he turned away from the fae his fingers danced over the blade and the prince could see his reflection. He appeared ragged and unwell, something to which he placed the blame completely on Merlin.

A stab to the heart came as the lover’s name passed through his mind. Arthur clutched his chest, wincing. The pain quickly passed and Jareth sent a puzzled look Arthur’s way. He waved the stare off, indicating that he was perfectly fine.

What neither pair noticed was one of the scars, the one above all the others, glimmered, becoming more prominent than the rest by it’s now darkened colour.

…

“Little prince…” Jareth spoke as he finished strapping the last bit of armour in place. “Why do you wish to rescue your love after all he has done?”

Arthur gazed solemnly at the king. “As I said earlier, I haven’t finished hating him yet. But, I suppose, in addition to that, I love him, first and foremost, and nothing will stop me from saving him. Nothing.”

To that, Jareth had no words. He was awestruck, by the brutal honesty of the prince’s words. He himself had spent years, drenched in hatred towards Sarah and yet…deep down, there was still a flame flickering for her. Maybe one day he could pursue her, but for now, he had far more important matter to deal with.

…

The only thing Merlin felt was cold. It seeped into his skin, soaking itself into his bones and drowning itself into his veins. It embraced him like an old lover, gently and then squeezing him for all he had.

And the lips on his disappeared the moment he became fully submerged. His eyes flashed open before seeing a manically grinning Nimue, sea green eyes illuminating the dark waters as she bared her sharp teeth to him. The mermaid outstretched her hand, grasping onto the sorcerer’s neck, pulling him closer. Her nails extended themselves into his flesh, and crimson rivers began to flow. Her eyes begun to darken as the scent of fresh blood entered her vicinity and her smile became more feral.

Merlin thrashed in her grip, eventually freeing himself. He begun to swim to the surface, _desperately_ and never once looking back. However, Nimue was much faster than him, and she grabbed his leg, pulling him further below till he was face to face with her once again.

As his air began to run out, Merlin’s pale blue eyes turning a _brilliant_ gold. They shone through the water and it was almost as if the darkness from the waves recoiled at the brilliance of the light. Nimue herself let go, but not before leaving one last mark on the wizard.

Her nails dug themselves in his old scar from the statues and _dragged_ themselves down it, reopening the wound. Merlin _screamed_ in agony and his bright eyes shot directly on Nimue. She flashed him a dark grin before her skin began to burn in the fiery light. She let go of the sorcerer and with a flick of her tail, took off into the opposing direction of Merlin.

Merlin’s eyes continued to glow brightly and the water around him seemed… _healthier_ than before. Not letting it deter him though, Merlin swam up to the boat, clambering himself into it’s shell.

He lied there for a few moments, his hand clutching his injury as the blood flowed between his fingers. His eyes returned to their former pale blue and gazed upon Nimue’s work.

His blood, upon discovery was no longer red but a deep, navy blue. “What is _happening_ to me?” Merlin whispered into the air, despair tinging on his words.

He created an orb in his hand, smashing it onto his wound. A bandage appeared and wrapped itself around the markings, stopping the flow of the blue blood.

Merlin felt a wave of exhaustion take over, and he collapsed in the boat, his body shutting down from the beating it took. Despite his clothes being soaked, he no longer felt the cold of the waters on him. He simply felt…numb.

And with that, slumber overcame the sorcerer as the silver moon shone brightly over his still body.

…

 

 

 

 


	5. I Move The Stars For No One

Chapter 5

I Move The Stars For No One

_“It's when the lights go out and you feel something behind you, you hear it, you feel its breath against your ear, but when you turn around, there's nothing there...”_

_― Stephen King_

The first thing Merlin heard when he came to was the sound of deep, rumbling voices, arguing. He wasn’t quite sure what to make of it, other than the issue that the voices were _quite_ irritating and didn’t _sound_ threatening, but the sorcerer wished to not take that chance.

So he kept his eyes shut, feigning unconsciousness, and chose to listen to his surroundings. His ears honed in on the voices until the speech soon became clear.

“What do we do with im’?”

“I dunno. Take him to the village suppos’.”

“Won’t do much good. Lady say she wanted ‘im?”

“Aye. She did. Said he be a good boy. Methinks she wants to save ‘im.”

“Boy is good as dead.”

Merlin silently huffed in annoyance. He was certainly _not_ dead thank you very much and whoever these creatures were obviously didn’t have an inkling of brain power. However, the sorcerer remained quiet for they spoke of a lady which made Merlin think that they could be talking about Sarah. Oh he _certainly_ hoped so.

Surprisingly, the wizard felt himself lifted and placed onto some sort of hammock. The material was rough between his fingers, scratching this way and that into his tender skin. He yearned to furrow his brow and move the offending material from his delicate membrane but alas, he had to keep the illusion up. Soon, the creatures began to move, with Merlin swinging side to side occasionally.  

It was an odd sort of sensation as he lay there, aware of everything and yet not being able to do a bloody thing about it in case these creatures decided to pummel him. Not that he wouldn’t be able to take them but with his magic being finicky and his body acting strangely, who knew what could happen.

Merlin hated being unsure. There was nothing worse than being unable to do anything. His past lives were proof of that. Clutching Arthur as he breathed his last breath, unable to save him. Merlin’s heart wrenched at the memory and then again as the wizard’s thoughts drifted towards the blond. Where was he now? Was he safe? Was the goblin king keeping him in a cage as a prisoner?

Rage shook Merlin’s heart at the mere thought. If that was the case, that stupid fae would suffer under the wrath of Merlin’s hand until Arthur was safely in his clutches once again. And he would show _no mercy_.

The thought of squeezing the fae’s neck sent shivers, pleasant ones, down Merlin’s spine. The newfound feeling was foreign. Merlin recognized his own magic but this…this was much different than the powers of light he had. This was _potent._

The wizard could feel his fingertips frost over, ice spread through his bloodstream, his breath illuminated by the cold when he exhaled. What was _happening_ to him? All the sudden, his body was put down with force and Merlin had to hold in a wince. Unpleasantness, it all was, the rough grip on his body with grubby hands that lifted him off whatever he was lying onto a scratchy blanket. Still feigning sleep, Merlin tried to concentrate on his new location not the grumblings of the goblins and that was when he heard it.

Twitching. A small, wet, twitching. It was close too, a sound that lingered in his heightened ears and it took all his self control to ignore shuddering his ears in response to the disagreeable sensation. As the creature that was exploring his body moved along it, he felt a soft, velvety fur brush past him and he wondered, for a moment, if it was none other than Sarah. But how could she have found him?

“It’s him alright. I can smell him. Thank you Hoggle.”

“Yer welcome Miss Sarah.”

In that moment, Merlin allowed his eyes to flutter open as he took in a deep breath of air that chilled his lungs. “Merlin! Oh thank goodness you’re awake!”

Slowly but surely the wizard moved his stiff body until he was leaning on his elbows. His eyes strayed to the sleek fox that rested beside his stretcher. Green eyes shone brightly with relief.

“Sarah. Good to see you.”

“Merlin…you’re skin…you’re _blue_!”

The wizard stretched his hands and stared at them in shock. Abruptly, he shot up, moving his sleeves to reveal more of the pale blue that was now his skin. He waved his hands and in them appeared a mirror orb. He stared into it, gasping at what was reflected.

Glacial eyes stared back at him, his hair beginning to frost and icy veins replacing his normal ones. His ears were sharp and he swore he could see a feral glint in his reflection’s eyes.

“Sarah…”

“Merlin?”

“I think those creatures did something to me. Something _evil._ ”

“Merlin…that can’t be! They were just statues!”

“Nothing is what it seems in the labyrinth though. You know that as well as I. Look at the scratch they gave me, it’s frozen over! And my skin…my _eyes_! Everything about me is changing! I can feel it inside of me…something is amiss.”

“We can’t focus on that now. You still have a challenge to win and time is running out. You need to rescue Arthur. Maybe he can help us solve this.”

“Sarah, it’s _Arthur_. He doesn’t know about magic or me! He’ll hate me.”

“Merlin, Arthur was just wished away by _goblins_ and placed inside an aggressive labyrinth. I think he may know that magic is very much real now.”

Merlin ran his hands through his hair. “I suppose you’re right. God, he must absolutely despise me now. I never told him about what I could do. The timing…just never seemed right you know? And with what’s happened in our past…he’ll never love me back, not even as a friend.”

Sarah placed a paw gently on his shoulder. “Merlin…Arthur and you have history, granted it’s a complicated one but it’s got something real in it. You two have always found your way to one another, even against all odds. It’s fate. You two have always meant to be together. Now as of him loving you the way you love him…I think you’d be surprised. The time is not of Albion or Camelot anymore.”

Merlin placed a hand on Sarah’s paw. “Thank you. I only hope what you said rings true.”

…

The moment Arthur opened his eyes after the blasted magic transported him to the labyrinth he knew something was wrong. The air stunk of rotting flesh, the ground like stained battlefields after a war hard won, the trees bending shallowly and the skies dark and foreboding. He looked at his companion, Jareth, who stood tall and proud, taking in his creation through cunning eyes.  He knew the fae was hiding his worry. The labyrinth, a massive and once glorious masterpiece was now a sickly masterwork, something that was _dying_.

A feeling Arthur knew all too well. A shiver passed through him as his past deaths made themselves prominent before fading away again. In each passing memory he saw, clear as day, Merlin there by his side, tenderly holding him as he breathed his last breath. Arthur would not let that happen. Not without letting him know how he truly felt.

“Jareth, shall we head inside?”

“In a moment little prince. I must find him first.”

“If I know Merlin, he’s set up camp somewhere. He’s always been resourceful.”

Jareth gave Arthur a look, noticing a smile flitter onto the prince’s face. His heart sighed for Sarah, so he could gaze upon her face and he too, could smile the way the prince did for his love. But she was gone from his eyes and he had yet to learn why.

“Very well. We shall head in together. Your knowledge of Emerys may help us find him.”

“Of course it will. I’m the prince of Wales for gods sake! I should bloody well think it does.”

With that, Arthur trudged his way to the entrance of the labyrinth as Jareth looked on, rolling his eyes at the narcissist of the royal before following suit. He certainly hoped the prince’s ego didn’t get in the way of their quest to find Emerys.

…

Merlin humbly accepted the bowl of stew from the goblin that was cooking for the camp. Apparently with the strange occurrences going on in the labyrinth, some of the goblins had taken to nomadic living rather than domestic. It was easier to escape, according to Hoggle, one of Sarah’s old friends from her past.

_“You ain’t ever know when one of them creatures comes from the darkness in here. We best keep ourselves low to the ground. Goblin village is in ruins. We just here to stay alive.”_

“Sarah?”

“Yes Merlin?”

“How did you beat the labyrinth?”

A loud sigh emitted from the vixen, who followed her tail before settling down beside Merlin on a cushion near the firepit. “I was young, _so_ young when it all started. My younger brother was a baby at the time and was getting all the attention from my parents. And it seemed no matter what I did, it was wrong. I lived too much in fantasy than reality. One day I had just… had enough. My parents left me responsible for Toby, he’s my brother, and I snapped. Much like what happened with you and Arthur. I wished him away.”

“So, the goblins took him?”

“Yes, they did. And all the sudden I placed in a world I had only dreamed about and had this ginormous task placed on me to save my brother. It seemed like so much for me. To top it all off there was Jareth, who was cryptic with everything he said and was spinning me and circles and yet…there was something in his eyes. Something I was too young to understand then.”

“And now?”

Sarah chuckled sadly. “Now there’s nothing. I haven’t seen the man in years. I’ve grown up. I doubt what he offered then he’d do now.”

“You said Jareth. Is that the Goblin King’s name?”

“Yes. It is. Hoggle told me it. I think I used to know it before, but my time in the labyrinth is like a fading memory. Sometimes, I can’t tell if it really happened or if it was all a dream.”

Merlin mulled over the name. That would help him later. “I suppose that has to do with you getting older. The book you gave me is a child’s tale. It is a tool, used to lure children to the Seelie and Unseelie kingdoms. It does not surprise me that you’d forget it as you grew up.”

“That’s the thing though. I didn’t. I have images all throughout my house of my time there. Most of the time, the memories are vibrant. But occasionally…”

“They disappear and it seems like a fantasy.”

“Yes. Exactly.”

Merlin sighed, as he took another spoonful of the stew. “I would like to offer you some sort of assurance, but I can’t. I don’t know this place. I can remember bits and pieces, but my past lives only show me the time with Arthur. Never before him, or after.”

“Do you know why that is?”

“No. And it’s never really bothered me. At least, not until now.”

“What do you mean?”

“I can’t shake the feeling that what’s happening to me has something to do with what happened before Arthur. Something’s missing from my memories. But I don’t know what.”

“Are you sure it has to do with the statues that attacked you?”

“Positive. There was something about them…something about the lake…”

“What _did_ happen at the lake?”

Merlin paused in his thoughts, wondering just if he should tell Sarah about his encounter with Nimue. But he thought better of it. She was worried enough already, there was no need to extend the feeling. “I was drawn into the water, by what I don’t know. I got on a boat, made my way to the middle and then went overboard.”

“Nothing dragged you in?” she asked, somewhat suspiciously. It seemed odd for Merlin to have just been pulled under the waves by no source. Then again, nothing was what it seemed in the Labyrinth.

“No. Nothing.”

And for some reason, Merlin didn’t feel guilty telling that lie.

…

Jareth and Arthur made their way through the entrance of the labyrinth. The moment they stepped in, they were surrounded by forests. “Jareth,” the blond spoke, “This place…it isn’t what it used to be, is it?”

“No little prince. It certainly is not.”

The fae king stepped further into the looming woods, his eyes straying left and right, trying to source out any sort of threat. He found nothing, and gestured to his companion to follow him. Arthur did, and for once his pride was silent. He didn’t know this land and had no interest in losing his life before he found Merlin. He would fight whoever dared to defy him until he found the one he loved.

He hadn’t stopped hating the bloody prick yet. He had a few choice words for the sorcerer.

“This way.” Spoke Jareth, moving under some vines and branches that stuck out into the main path. The king grasped on tightly and ripped it off the tree it had been attached to. He sniffed the plant, his fingers running over the edges and his eyes staring at the fading colour. His labyrinth was _dying_. He understood that after Sarah had left the place had changed but this…

This was chilling. It took much effort to keep the kingdom running after it had been beaten. Jareth had never understood the ancient magic of the labyrinth, only that there was something about it being tied to the Champions. But that knowledge was long lost.

“Jareth, where do you think he could be in all of this madness?”

“I know not. Our best wish is to follow the path he took, and hope that we reach them soon.”

“Well, we might be catching up to them quickly then. I don’t know how this place works, but it seems to have given us what we’ve been looking for. Or, at least a clue.”

The fae looked upon the blond with inquisitive eyes. Arthur simply gestured towards an opening in the forest, showing a clearing full of life. Jareth slowly made his way over, awestruck by vibrancy of the place. In all of his life, never had he seen the labyrinth this rich in health.

“Emerys could not have done this.”

“What do you mean? He came here, didn’t he? I mean, he is running your labyrinth, doesn’t that mean he’d have some effect on it?”

“No. Not as he’s running it.”

“Maybe he used his magic then. To heal the place.”

“Not possible. Emerys’s magic cannot create life or restore it. It is not rooted in light.”

Arthur had absolutely no clue as to what the king spoke of, so instead he chose to peruse the clearing. Flowers bloomed their fragrances throughout the air, the grass whispered life into the ground, the sky rang a clear blue and the air breathed a crisp freshness into Arthur. The place glowed and for a moment, Arthur wished never to leave. Alas, he was on a quest and had to see it till the end. Maybe he would bring Merlin back here, if they reunited.

Jareth meanwhile could not seem to sway the parallels the place had to Sarah. It was stunning, just as she. The forest’s leaves matched her vivacious eyes, the small ravine flowing the way her chestnut hair did in the wind, and the roses rivalling the blush which decorated her cheeks. It was exquisite, just as she.

His heart ached at the loss. He created an orb, mist forming around his palm until a crystal appeared. “Show me Sarah.” He begged, eyes hoping to show the woman’s form. Nothing came to vision inside the orb. It remained clouded, eluding Jareth to her whereabouts. In a sudden rage, the fae king sent the orb smashing to the clearing, the shards flying across the clearing and embedding themselves all over. The crystal tears sunk themselves deep into the earth until they were no more.

“Jareth, are you alright?”

“I am fine, little prince. Come, let us continue.”

A resounding step showed Arthur the king’s intentions of leaving the beautiful place. The blond followed suit, sparing one last glance at the painted imagery before him before turning his head back to the darkness.

…

 

Merlin settled himself on his makeshift mat. His eyes turned to Sarah, whose own gaze was staring into the depths of the fire, as if it held some secret. She was entranced by the flames that licked each other’s tails. “Sarah.”

Her head slowly lifted to show that she was listening, though her stare did not drift. “I’m wondering if I should change you back.”

“Back to what?”

“Back to being human. Perhaps you as your normal self will benefit us greater than being in your fox form.”

“Merlin, I’d say that’s the smartest thing you’ve said so far.”

The wizard had the decency to blush to her comment as the memory of wishing away Arthur came to the forefront of her mind. “I only did it to hide you from the Goblin King.”

“Why? I doubt he meant me harm.”

“You can never know. You’re a Champion, aren’t you? I doubt he liked you beating him at his own game.”

“I suppose you have a point. Still…”

Silence emerged as Sarah drifted off in her thoughts. She had never been able to decide where the Goblin King fitted in her house…and her life.

It was like he was stuck to her. No matter what she did, there was something there to remind her about her time in the labyrinth or him. Most days, the recollections were vibrant, others…dismal and cloudy preventing her from remembering anything and wondering if she simply imagined it.

She didn’t like those days.

As she grew older, she began to understand the severity of Jareth’s words. A man who moved the stars for no one, and yet, they were for her. She moved her gaze to the twinkling lights above her, scattered across the desolate abyss. She could swear they shone brighter than before, and she wondered just what the Goblin King was up to in this moment.

…

Jareth noted that night had fallen, leaving them to set up camp for the night. Arthur had disappeared to scavenge for wood to light a fire. As he counted the stars, he felt a shiver go through him. What it was, he did not know. But it erupted a feeling of longing in him. His words from many years ago echoed in his mind, causing a sigh to come from him. “Except for you Sarah.” He whispered to the air and with a flick of his wrist, the stars got brighter, until they could be seen perfectly through the cloudy night.

…

 


	6. Time Is Short

Chapter 6

_Time Is Short_

_“Scars have the strange power to remind us that our past is real.”_

_― Cormac McCarthy, All the Pretty Horses_

Sarah felt a tingling sensation go from her fingertips to her toes. If anything, she felt like she was sparkling, shimmering brightly for the goblins to see. Of course, only Merlin was in the little tent they had stolen away from Hoggle. The poor little goblin had quivered in his boots when Merlin had approached him. Apparently, there was something about the wizard who seemed to scare the residents of the little camp.

She closed her eyes, waiting for the feeling to disappear. It was wonderfully pleasant, and Sarah hadn’t felt this way in a long time. She wanted to laugh, to dance, to be free.

“Alright, I’m done.”

Sarah opened her eyes and they met Merlin’s golden ones instantly. He blinked once, and the irises were once more back to their glacial blue. “Well, how does it feel?”

Sarah wiggled her fingers, marveling at how different it felt to be human once again. “I gotta say, I prefer this form.” Merlin chuckled, “I figured as much. Sorry about that. Shall we continue running the labyrinth? We still need to find the castle in order to win and I’m not sure about the time.”

“Yes, let’s. It’ll be better if we get moving, especially with your body changing. I’m starting to think something in the underground triggered it.”

“You’re probably right. But let’s think about that later. We’ve got a ways to go and I just…I suppose I want to procrastinate the problem. When I rescue Arthur, then we can focus on what’s happening to me, but I really need to make sure he’s alright first. And I hope I can convince him to forgive me for, well, everything. If I hadn’t wished him away we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“Merlin, you’re babbling.”

“Right. Sorry” answered the wizard, sheepishly rubbing his neck. “How do we get out of here? Not that the goblins haven’t been generous but, I’m not too keen on them joining us as we venture on.”

Sarah shrugged. “I doubt they’ll even notice us leave. They’re not the brightest bunch.” Merlin chuckled. “Too right. Grab what you need Sarah and we’ll head on out.”

The woman nodded, grabbing the satchel the goblins had given her. She shoved a few days rations, two water skins and several torches with a box of matches before exiting the tent to join Merlin’s side.

“Where to Champion?”

Sarah looked around the campsite, analyzing which direction they should go. “We need to stay away from the lake. Merlin, can you use your magic to point us in the right direction? The issue is that the labyrinth is always changing as well as the goblin’s campsite. We have no real starting point.”

“Fair point. Very well. Um, right, give me a moment…”

Merlin waved his hands around, summoning a crystal into his hand. “Show me the way.” He whispered, looking sheepish as Sarah gave him an amused look. Now with her in her human form, her face was far more expressive than it was as a vixen. She snorted as her eyes strayed forward to the dense forest before them, waiting for Merlin to pipe up his discovery. He did not disappoint.

“Ah! I think I’ve got it!”

The crystal floated out of the wizard’s hand and began to drift forwards towards one of the off beaten paths. “I suppose we just follow it then.” Sarah nodded in agreement. “Let’s go, Merlin. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover and not a lot of time to do it.”

…

 

The lake was ominous to Arthur, it’s size big enough to lose someone despite being able to see the other side. Giant hills covered in dense forests surrounded the other end and curve towards him, sloping down until it hit the rocky shore he stood on. How such a place existed inside a labyrinth, Arthur knew not.

Labyrinths were puzzles. They weren’t supposed to have giant landscapes inside them. Perhaps that why was it was there. It was a conundrum itself.

Arthur looked at his hand, where the four scars lay. He’d been staring at them quite a bit since the pair had been traveling. He noted that the one on top was darker than the other three, but he hadn’t spoken about it. The scars didn’t hurt but…the long Arthur stared at them, the more worried he became.

 “Jareth…”

“Yes, little prince?”

“Look.” Arthur raised his hand to show the Goblin King the now darkened scar that was above the other three. “Something’s happened.”

Jareth took the hand for closer inspection. There was definitely magic at work, but he didn’t know what kind. He let go of the hand, moving away to ponder the strange scars that had refused to go away when Abbigail healed his hands.

“I’m afraid we’ll need to be taking a detour from finding Emerys. If the one I seek can surmise what is going on, we may be able to answer our questions ourselves. Will you be alright waiting a while longer before finding your paramour?”

“He’s not my lover.”

“Companion then.”

Arthur huffed, not liking his options but understanding that he was in a precarious situation where his authority was moot. As much as he would have liked to keep chasing after Merlin, perhaps it would be better to find answers that could aid the sorcerer, rather than just pursuing him in the density of the labyrinth.

“Very well. Let’s go.”

Jareth nodded in agreeance, turning to head back the way they came. Arthur followed reluctantly, and neither noticed the pair of eyes that watched them from the lake and a feral grin that slowly spread in the fading sunlight.

…

 

Merlin and Sarah arrived at an opening in the forest. It was still dense, but the afternoon sun shone through the trees illuminating the shadows on the ground. The dirt was dry, and it seemed the area hadn’t gotten water in a while.

What was most odd about the ground was the burrowed holes that scattered themselves around the environment. Something appeared to be sticking out of them and upon a closer look, it seemed like feather feet were sticking out.

“Sarah, do you know what these things are?”

“Merlin, I think they’re fireys. But…I don’t understand why they’re in holes. Usually, they’re in trees, or, at least they were in my run.”

“Evidently, something happened here. Let me just,”

“Merlin DON’T!”

“Don’t what? Pull them out? Why not? It isn’t like they can do anything. Most powerful wizard in existence, they won’t be able to lay a finger on us.”

“Merlin, just because they aren’t a threat doesn’t mean you shouldn’t treat them as beings. Gently pull them out. Be considerate. Usually, you don’t need reminding to be kind.”

“Sorry. Don’t know what came over me for a moment. It won’t happen again. Alright. Gently pulling out fireys. Nice and easy.”

Merlin did just that, grasping one of the legs that stuck out of the ground and with easy fluidity, the creature came out as if it has never been stuck at all. Both Sarah and Merlin leaned in closer, peering at the firey.

“There’s no head. Do they usually have no head, Sarah?”

“No. They usually have a head. I knew they could pull their limbs off but…why wouldn’t they put their head back on after they chillied down?”

“ _Chillied down?_ ”

“It was their expression. Chilly down, chilly down. It was what they did. The fireys were all about having fun. I can’t believe something did this to them!”

“Sarah, do you know what could have gone after them?”

“No. But I’m guessing that whatever’s been killing the forest did this to them. Perhaps the statues?”

“I don’t think so. They seemed to only be in that one area. I think we should pull the rest out. Maybe we’ll find their heads.”

Sarah sighed unhappily. “Maybe.”

The pair went around to the bodies that stuck out, pulling them out gently and laying them on the ground. When they finished there were six bodies but no heads.

“Nothing. Merlin, something _intentionally_ killed them. Who would do this? Yes, they were mischievous creatures but…they really just wanted to chilly down not necessarily harm anyone!”

However, Merlin wasn’t listening to Sarah, as he had just noticed an odd lump on the ground that was off to the side as if someone had tried to hide it with foliage. “Sarah, look!” The ravenet pointed to the mound before making his way over and peering at it the way he had done with the bodies. “Sarah…I think the heads are here. Someone tried to hide them.”

Sarah joined Merlin’s side, squatting down and staring at the lump. “Well then, let’s dig and see. I hope so.”

The pair scraped away dirt with their hands, noticing that something was most certainly buried there. Sarah squeaked in excitement as she noticed a muddled orange feather poking itself out of the ground. “Merlin, these are the heads. I can see some of the feathers.”

“I think I can hear them.”

They both paused their movements choosing to place their ears to the ground to listen to what Merlin might have been hearing. Muffled sounds vaguely came through, but the pair silently agreed that the fireys were most certainly under the ground. Merlin ushered Sarah to the side so that none of the creatures would attack her. He doubted they could do anything seeing as they were only heads, but he had no desire to risk her safety, especially due to her value to the Goblin King.

Merlin’s mind paused, wondering where that dark thought just came from. He shook it away, choosing instead to focus on the heads. He gently removed the mud and soon found three heads stacked unkindly on top of one another.

“We free! We free! I see the sun!”

“Me too!

“Me three!”

“Excuse me, are you the fireys?”

The first head piped up. “Yes, we are!”

“But,” spoke Merlin, “There’s only _three o_ f you. I found six bodies.”

Silence fell over the heads, making them appear no longer eager to speak about anything.

Sarah sat down beside Merlin, looking at the old creatures she once thought of as enemies. “Are you alright? What happened to you?”

“It was them, creatures. They took away our friends. Put their heads on sticks. Now there’s only three of us left. But…no one wants to chilly down.”

The other two echoed a sad sound. “Chilly down, chilly down.” They spoke softly. Merlin and Sarah exchanged a look of worry. Merlin then spoke, “Do you want us to attach you to your bodies? It might help things a bit.”

The heads didn’t respond but the sorcerer felt a strong inkling to perform the action anyway. He took the head that spoke first and approached one of the bodies. The head didn’t protest until Merlin grabbed one of the forms.

“No. That ain’t mine. Mine’s that one.” The head swooshed itself towards the direction of its body. Merlin complied, and Sarah grabbed a head and did the same. Soon the three heads were now joined with their bodies. As the wizard looked at the fireys, he found them to be…dare he say… _familiar_ in some way.

“Do I know you?” he asked because their familiarity was beginning to bother him.

The second fiery looked at him, blinked a few times behind its crooked nose before tilting his head. “You’re Emerys.”

The answer took both Sarah and Merlin aback. Merlin regained himself first which caused him to approach the fiery. “You know me?” he whispered, shock evident in his voice.

“You’re the one who made us.”

“What?!”

The third fiery popped into the conversation. “Yeah, you made us! Yes you did! Us fireys to chilly down, chilly down, just like you!”

“I don’t know what that is.”

“We didn’t like your chilly down. Your chilly down was too chilly for the fire gang.”

The fireys agreed with the second one, nodding their heads in unison. Merlin stood there, more puzzled than before. Sarah stood beside him, hands on her head in a vain attempt to stabilize the thoughts racing through her mind.

“What do you mean I was too chilly for you?”

The first firey spoke. “Your chilly down was too cold. It wasn’t fun no more. We wanted fun chilly down.”

Merlin looked at Sarah. “Any ideas?”

“None. Fireys…do you know where those creatures went who hurt you?”

The feathered creatures shook their heads. “No. They buried us before they left. We got no idea Champion.”

“You remember me?”

The fireys exchanged puzzled looks. “Hard not to. You’re the one who made them come.”

“Made who come? The creatures?”

“Dark matter they are. Don’t like us. Say we burn too bright. They chilly down, chilly down.”

Merlin froze, the next question he hoped the fireys denied. “Chilly down like _me_?”

The fireys nodded and Merlin’s blood ran cold. He understood what the fireys were speaking of. He still had no memories of his past lives before or after Arthur, but he had a feeling they _weren’t_ pleasant ones.

“Sarah…we need to get to the center of the labyrinth. I think…We need to get Arthur and get out of here as soon as possible.”

“Merlin, what’s going on?”

The wizard looked at his hands in fear, the realization of what was happening slowly trickling in. If his assumptions were right, the challenge was about to become darker.

“I think we may be in bigger trouble than we thought.”

As he spoke, the last trace of any physical humanity on his body vanished, leaving Merlin as a humanoid of blue, decorated in icy, silver swirls with glacial eyes and royal blue hair.

“I don’t think I’m human anymore.”

…

After hiking for what seemed like forever, Arthur noted that they had arrived at a secluded section of the labyrinth. There was a small pond out front of a tiny hut that stood on stilts. The house was ragged, with peeling bark and roof tiles either cracked or missing. The place wasn’t well kept and for the prince, it reeked of something foul.

“Jareth, what _is_ this place?”

The king began to walk up the steps, pausing at the door to answer the blond’s question. “An old member of my court lived here. They left due to…unfortunate circumstances. However, I believe they will be the only one to shed truth onto your scars. They know far more than the let on and are to be regarded carefully. Do not trust a word he says. Be on your guard. _Understood_ little prince?”

Arthur nodded, not entirely sure of what to say in response to the Goblin King. Instead, he chose to follow Jareth inside. The moment he entered in, he was surprised by the décor. It was all one big open space, with the rooms splurging themselves together. There was no divide anywhere to be seen, which made the prince wonder who would design such a place as this. They had clearly desired privacy by their location so why the sudden need to expose everything?

“Your majesty, I didn’t expect your presence. What does my king desire? Hm?”

Descending from the ceiling appeared a lizard. The scaly creature crawled down the wall, hopping off and walking to the pair on two feet. If Arthur was to hazard a guess as to what kind of lizard the creature was, he would have said a Komodo dragon. However, due to Arthur’s lack of knowledge about reptile species, he simply saw it as a lizard, nothing more.

Jareth, however, nodded to the individual. “Sirus. What can you tell me about these scars?” The Goblin King grabbed the prince’s wrist, shoving it forward into Sirus’s grasp. The lizard took the prince’s hand and with his talons faintly traced the marks. “These are tied to another’s magic. It is not this boy’s, it is another’s. Who is running your labyrinth, your majesty? I only know of one sorcerer who did a spell long ago of this nature.”

“If you know of the wizard that performed this task, then surely you know the runner.”

“Emerys is back then.”

“This is his work?”

Sirus let go of Arthur’s hand, to speak directly with the Goblin King. The prince looked at his scars in a new light, wondering how Merlin had tied himself to him. What was _going on_?

“Sirus, can you tell me what Mer- _Emerys_ has to do with this?” interrupted the blond, eager to learn something of help.

Sirus looked at the prince, his eyes peering into the form of Arthur. Slowly he approached the blond, speaking with each step he took. “Long ago, there was a tale told of a dark warlock, who was powerful and full of the most potent magic to exist. He was unlike the fae found in the courts Underground or the wizards Above. He was a different entity and tales told of his forthcoming for centuries. Throughout the years, these prophecies turned into myths, until the arrival was no longer stories told at night to scare the children but a present threat to the kingdoms. His name, my dear boy, was _Emerys._ ”

Arthur froze and looked to Jareth, who only nodded his confirmation. The blond’s mind raced because the Merlin he knew was anything but evil. He was kind, considerate, _loving_. He was _good_ and pure of heart. But most certainly not evil.

Sirus was not done despite Arthur’s sudden despondent state. Jareth placed a hand on the prince’s should, a gesture that caused Arthur to snap back to focus and listen to what the lizard had to say.

“Emerys wreaked havoc on the Underground. He killed thousands with a mere flick of his wrist. He was unlike anything anyone had seen, and the courts fell into dark times. Fae feared for their lives. In a desperate attempt to make the warlock see reason, the Seelie and Unseelie courts united and held a meeting with Emerys. Emerys agreed, the reason, we know not, but it proved to be his downfall. The courts trapped Emerys with ancient magic from a tome they found hidden in the archives of those who wished not to be found. The spell sent Emerys to the Aboveground, forever trapping him there. Along with Emerys, they sent a witch, who had long had ongoings with the Underground to keep an eye on the warlock. I do not remember her name, but she reported back at the end of every yule to the courts. However, after the first year, the courts never heard back from her about Emerys. As the fae could not go Aboveground, they did not hear of Emerys for five years. We do not know what happened to him when he was Aboveground, but it is rumored that the warlock attached himself to a human boy.”

“Sirus, what does that have to do with the scars?” hissed Jareth, wanting answers and not a tale.

The lizard grinned, his tongue licking his teeth quickly as he sat down. “Why don’t you ask your boy? I believe he knows why.”

Jareth turned to Arthur, who was now faintly tracing the scars with his hand. “Because he fell in love and became Merlin. Merlin is the wizard, Emerys is the warlock. They are two sides of one coin. These scars…they aren’t scars so much as _symbols_. From the very first time we met, to my very last breath in my first life, Merlin cast a spell. I vaguely remember it, but it has something to do with time.”

Sirus stood up, taking the hand once again. “Emerys, in his time in the Aboveground, met with a seer who could read one’s life through the hands. It was in his first year of being Aboveground.”

“You were the seer, weren’t you?” asked Arthur.

“Astute, aren’t you? Not so dim as you appear to be. Yes, I was the seer he met with. These markings parallel your lifelines.” Sirus pointed to each line as he spoke, informing the royal pair about what each one meant. He started with the bottom. “This line here is the Line of Life. It foretells the vitality of one’s life. This one here is the Line of Fate. It predicts wealth, status and one’s future endeavors. This line here is the Line of Head. It speaks of one’s mentality throughout their life. And finally, we have the Line of Heart.” Sirus pointed to the darkest scar on Arthur’s hand. “This line tells of the emotions of someone. Where one’s heart lies.”

“Why is it darker than the rest?” probed Arthur.

“Because, dear boy, these are not your lines. These are Emerys’s.” 

 

... 

 


End file.
